Review: ‘The Promise’ Finds a Love Triangle in Constantinople

My opinion is the reviewer, Ms. Catsoulis, watches too many movies. Again, my opinion is she has lost the ability to enjoy a film without the background noise of her mind with what she detailed "moviemaking machinery clank". This is an epic film with an important message. I give it two thumbs up and five stars!

I have seen the Promise two times and this movie is truly an excellent film! I'm a big lover of movies and have seen many epic films including Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago, etc. I'm Armenian and the first time I saw it, I was with my family. We all thought the movie was excellent, it was very sad and moving. The second time I saw it, it was with a very close friend who isn't Armenian but a a huge movie lover. Even he thought the movie was excellent! Ms. Jeanette Catsoulis' review is far from the truth. This was a very well acted and directed film. I hope it wins numerous Oscars because it deserves to win them! The New York Times should think carefully about publishing her reviews, due to either her incompetence as a film critic or possibly taking cash to unjustly bash this movie. There is no way that anyone could give this film less than 3 stars out of 4!

I read Ms. Catsoulis' review and although she points out what she considers major weaknesses in the film (the coincidental, soap opera subplot and director Terry George's effort to cast the film in the mold of panoramic epics such as 'Doctor Zhivago' and 'Reds'). she does the film a major disservice by dismissing it as too studied in its acting and screenwriting. 'The Promise' may not be a complete success but it is a powerful film, magnificently produced, directed and acted. Yes, the romantic "Love Triangle' elements are pure Hollywood soap opera but the suds are put into brilliant motion by the three superb leads. Visual references to 'Zhivago' and 'Titanic' are readily apparent but the films' stark depiction of the Armenian Genocide is given much screen time amid the often stunning landscapes that crop up often in this expensive looking epic. All in all, this is a very accomplished film, both deeply moving and disturbing.

This is a lavish, powerful epic that never flags and is carried admirably by Mr. Isaac and Mr. Bale. As an historical lesson on a forgotten genocide it is absolutely vital. Ignore this critic and see this fine film on the big-screen, where you can experience it in all its glory.

If you need a good reason to see "The Promise"- a film about the Armenian Genocide that occurred more than one hundred years ago, then just remember what Adolf Hitler said to his generals shortly before invading Poland- "Who today, after all, speaks of the annihilation of the Armenians?” As Santayana reminded us, those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

Catsoulis is not correct with her remarks. The movie may not be a master piece for the ages but was accomplished, well directed and having the burden of educating and, unfortunately, simply introducing a vast majority of the population to the horrors of this genocide, is very effective.

Being Armenian I have wrestled with the dilemma of not wanting to paint all the Turkish people with the same brush for this atrocity and want a reconciliation after these many years, for I believe that we as a people and a culture can not move forward if we are constantly dwelling in the past, however, having Armenian blood coursing through my veins, I want recognition and recompense for my people. This may not be all Armenian's view but it is this ones.

View the movie through this lens and Mr. George is to be commended for a job well done, under adverse and subversive circumstances. Internet trolling and uninformed and arrogant reviewers with little understanding of what it took to make this film and what the film needed to do to reach a broader audience added a level of complexity not usual for such a film.

If "The Interview" can be lauded for standing up to the threats of North Korea, then everyone involved in this film must be applauded for enduring the misinformation or, in the parlance of the times "fake news" thrown at them for all sides, even our own government by its continued cowardice in using the appropriate phrase "Genocide', so to appease a dictator.

I find J. Catsoulis' review arrogant and uninformed. This is a very engaging movie which portrays the fate of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire accurately. I think the director and writer Terry George has accomplished to turn complex historic facts into a film that will appeal not only to Armenians but to a general audience, and especially also to younger people. Well directed, well acted, great music, and incredibly touching. The 'Ottoman labor camp' is actually the Bhagdad Railroad that the Germans built through parts of the Ottoman Empire. The archives in Berlin are full of firsthand accounts of German missionaries and teachers who were - unsuccessfully - begging their Kaiser to stop the slaughter of innocent Christians. Historians worldwide agree that the mass killings of Armenians (and also Greeks and Aramaeans) by the Young Turks during World War 1 was the first Genocide of the 20th Century.

The acting in this movie is superb!!!

I'm feeling wonderful after seeing this excellent movie. Oscar Isaac was outstanding~!
..Ugh. this review makes me feel deflated. Why? Because it is dismissive. It dismisses a well directed, well acted and truth revealing story about genocide. Dangerous. Aren't we all working to change this dismissive attitude in our world?

Thankfully I saw the movie before I read this review because I thoroughly liked it. I'm not sure why, but movie reviews is not one of the Times' strong suites. Before the NY Daily News cut their staff and eliminated their movie reviewers I found them more in tune with what appealed to me- perhaps the Times should have hired them.

After having read this I didn't want to see this film, but went as a favor to an Armenian friend. I was prepared to be bored and disappointed. I was neither! I am a fairly critical movie-goer and I thought it was an EXCELLENT film-- hard to watch, but very well done with wonderful acting, visuals and music. I am baffled by the negativity and what I see as unfair and excessive criticism in this review. I feel like this reviewer and I didn't see the same movie.

The one flaw that I would note was that it didn't adequately explain WHY the Ottoman Turks were slaughtering the Armenians. My friend told me that it was like the Jews in Germany; they were different, prosperous and a religious minority. The prevailing powers saw them somehow as a threat didn't want them around. That's all it took for the Ottomans and 30 years later that's all it took for Hitler.

This is a movie worthy of wide viewership. I hope that readers of this review will read these comments and see the movie. It deserves to be seen and we deserve to see it.

I went to see this movie despite almost all the critics giving it a low rating. I don't know if it was due to the low expectation, but I loved the movie. The story was really good, the performances were great and on top of that I learnt a very important fact in history that has been ignored for a long time. Every single person in the movie theatre was glued to their seat till the last credit rolled. I really recommend this movie.

I agree with the gist of other commenters here: This is a truly hostile pretentious review of a film that raises awareness about the Armenian genocide when we have just about no films out there that do. Does it have that big budget Hollywood feel at times? Yes. So? I found it moving and well-acted, and especially timely as we contemplate what is happening in Syria and other parts of the mid-East. Virtually any movies that can help us grapple with what it means for people to be forced out of their homes and stripped of their rights by others should be seen by many more people than go to historically based movies. It's also worth recognizing that a film that has elicited so much hostility and denial from the Turkish government is worth seeing just to discover why the official reaction to the Armenian genocide continues to be denial.

This is a very mean spirited review. Just about every Armenian alive today is a descendent of a survivor of the unimaginable horrors of the first genocide of the 20th century. The Promise is a film that is bringing that truth to the front lines of today's headlines. This is a heartfelt film, that sadly, the writer of this review, was unable to experience.

Ms. Catsoulis puts her credibility on the line when she states the Armenian genocide is "still contested". Truly?! By whom, other than self-serving Turkish government officials? At least she mentions Atom Egoyan's "Ararat", a beautiful movie that deserves more attention than it's ever received. At any rate, if her intention was to discourage the readers from watching "The Promise", at least as far as I'm concerned, she failed miserably.

You need a new reviewer. This was an excellent movie. I only wish there were more Armenians playing Armenians. The history went right with the stories my Grandmother shared regarding losing her whole family to the Armenian genocide. Everyone should see this.

Great film and amazing performances! I am ethnically Armenian and was moved by the film. Although the Armenian Genocide happened in 1915, it is still relevant. Just turn on the news and see how innocent people all over the world are killed because of their ethnicity or religion.

I'm not Armenian. I'm a movie fan, and I loved "The Promise." Oscar Isaac as Michael grabbed my heart and never let go. Christian Bale was as brilliant as he always is, conveying paragraphs with brief body language.

I knew the film covered a genocide and I was ready to see images I would prefer not to see, but the skill of the film-making helped me get through scenes that made me cry and that will haunt me for a long time. I did think the film too fast-paced. This film covers a great amount of material and it could have been longer if scenes had been allowed to move at a slower pace. But that's today's attention span.

Reviewers are objecting to a love triangle that occurs during a genocide. These reviewers are uninformed. Read Holocaust and even concentration camp memoirs. Read of Mala and Edek, a Jewish woman and a Polish man who were famous lovers at Auschwitz.

I'm commenting here because there is a war on against this film. Turkey denies that its genocide of Christian Armenians ever took place. Turks are actually busy at various film-related websites insisting that this is a bad film.

"The Promise" is a good film. I'm glad I saw it. As a film fan, I value aesthetics above message. Even so, I say shame on reviewers panning this good movie.

Not a dry eye in the house where I saw it. And I was not at a showing with lots of Armenians.

The Chicago Sun Times gave it 3 stars out of 4. I would give it 3-1/2 stars. I do not agree with Jeannett Catsoulis' review. I am not sure she and I saw the same movie. The Turks have managed to blow off this tragedy as if it never happened. I am sure the Kurds can give a much clearer picture of the Ottoman Holocaust. Fortunately, this film brings the horrific attrocities to the forefront. I am not sure why this has not been amplified in the way of Nazi Germany and Cambodia's Pol Pot regime.

I object to this critic - or any critic - using phrases such as "..we never forget for one second that we’re watching actors in fancy dress". There is no way to know what others are experiencing when they watch a movie. Stick to what you do know, which is your own reaction. "I never forgot for one second that we’re watching actors in fancy dress" is the accurate, objective way to state what is in effect just an opinion, not a fact.

I saw this film and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's certainly not any more unrealistic or corny than most. I found the story quite gripping, well told, and quite often truly heartbreaking. The characters are engaging and I found I cared for them, unlike so many characters in today's films. I agree that there is a bigger issue going on in this film than the romantic plot, but that's why it truly deserves to be seen.

My grandparents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Although depicted in a melodramatic way, many of the events and situations depicted in The Promise did occur. My grandmother escaped the march through the desert after being shot. Her little sister fell in the roadway and when my grandmother went to pick her up to carry her, the Turkish guards forced her onward. The last she saw of her sister, she was lying in the road. My grandmother was raped. She also attempted suicide, but the other Armenians saved her from drowning, telling her she was Christian, so therefore, should not kill herself. I could go on, but my point is, this movie is a must see for as they say in the movie, revenge is having survived.

Finally a movie on the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government and this
country has kept wrapped in silence and denial for too long. The film has a scene with German military observing the Turkish government attempt to suppress, annihilate the Armenians, a Christian force. The director, and actors truly gave this film its just story, great acting by the entire cast.
Hope more schools bring this history lesson into the classrooms.

Jeannette Catsoulis misses the mark on at least two counts in her review of The Promise: it is a beautiful, believable, and tragic love story; and the backdrop, the genocide of the Armenians of Ottoman Turkey, is not "contested" by historians but rather remains denied by the Turkish government. This movie abounds with the resilience of the human spirit.

Great movie to see. Christian Bale was poutstanding. I was planning to see it at my favorite location and time, at AMC in Tysons, at an 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM timeframe, usually by myself and maybe one other. But at this film there was a large group of Armenians. wearing t-shirts with slogans about the armenian genocide. Added an emotional twinge to the movie.

This critic has missed the point of the movie by criticizing Ana as "terminally cute" and the men as "unsympathetic and humorless". These are real events that took place and were never acknowledged by the Turkish government who perpetrated them. Had the true horrors been revealed, would the critic claim the truth was too graphic. Well it was and worse than was depicted.

The movie is overly melodramatic, but it was engrossing and well worth seeing. Don't listen to this critic. See the movie and draw your own conclusions.

The Armenian Genocide as well as the Kurdish Repression by the Turks demand the attention of the world especially now that Turkey seems headed towards autocratic rule

Te most amazing movie I have ever seen. It definitely displays the true events of the Armenian Genocide

Sometimes there are bigger issues than the 'fancy clothes,' referred to by this critic.

As an example, Gentlemen's Agreement, which had its share of foolishness, opened up the subject of anti-semitism that had rarely been touched on before.

I think the Armenian genocide by the Turks deserves further discussion, and if this film, quirks and all, opens up the topic, then I'm all for it.