Attilas '74

This movie is really for Greeks to see rather than the Turks. Having watched it with tension to address allegations, I am relieved that despite the single sided, far from objective narrative of the story, the director clearly acknowledges the fact that EOKA-B was a terror organization rather than a group of freedom fighters, and slaughtered people of their own blood. One must insist however that if EOKA-B was brutal to the Greeks, why the director was inhesitant to film the brutal use of force against the minority of the Turks. Mr. Makarios in this movie is very keen on giving numbers to identify percentages, as if the audience is idiot (just to show 6500 people is not small) but he refuses to comment that 18% of the population of the island equals to around 50 million people of the United States.

The director chooses to distort the history by omitting the details of the 1963 and 1967 and also wishes to sweep the illegal change of the Cypriot constitution by Macarios under carpets. The director makes no reference to the incidents prior to 1974 and just believes as if Turkey acted all of a sudden which is totally unrealistic looking at the slow motion capabilities of the Turkish army.

Though the director is right to blame the nationalist ENOSIS adventurers for the intervention, he fails to keep an objective eye on the matter and the documentary is turned into a propaganda and this is exactly why no body knows about this film.

Michalis Kakogiannis is an excellent director and has directed well-known tragedies in world cinema such as Iphigenia, Electra and The Trojan Women.

"Attilas '74" unfortunately erases the tragedy that island went through and let some commentators (Turks) do not want to admit it, shows the sufferings that the Greek Cypriots have gone through such as poverty, refugee, famine, war and kill over 1000 with the invasion of Turkey in 1974 on the island that still shows that it came peacefully (propaganda).

The documentary is real and is a punch in the stomach.

This is a true account of the days up to and after the events that shaped what Cyprus is today - the only country in the world that still has a divided city. This is a documentary made by a Cypriot director and told with an obvious Cypriot slant. To its credit, nearly all the main people involved in these events are given air time to say their thoughts on the subject, leaving the viewer with much food for thought. However, it shows a side to events that was avoided by foreign reporters and give a no holds barred account of what happened after the invasion. It may not provide easy viewing from a Turkish perspective, but invading another country kinda has that effect on things. Highly recommended.

I found this film interesting because it documents very thoroughly the events of the 1974 war in Cyprus(and the occurrences leading up to it) in a very interesting light. It is very informative, though it be one-sided in its' information that it chooses to provide. However, its' side is represented well with the presentation of many facts and touching cinematic sequences, and shows a completeness in its' study and documentation of the war. It presents the reality of the situation and the problems that were faced by the people in Cyprus on a very human level, and it is the sort of film that you cannot easily forget.

Overall, if you enjoy historical or political films, and have any remote interest in the Mediterranean political situation, I would recommend it. Otherwise, one might not find the film to be particularly interesting or good, in spite of the beautiful shots of Cyprus and touching stories told by those caught in the tragedy.

I am not a Greek or Turk, I am a person who loves movies, and I loved Attila 74. The style of documentary film-making is fascinating and real. The film is blunt, to the point and devastating. It feels like you are there in the midst of war, suffer and grieve with the locals, you feel for their loss and suffering. The film connects with you no matter what nationality you are. It is almost impossible to judge history, since there are two sides to each tale, but a documentary like Attila 74, helps understand what went on or what went wrong. I felt it is an honest witness to the horrible events that shook the peaceful population of this great Island. Bravo Mr. Cacoyannis not only for your wonderful film, but for the courage to go there and record history. I recommend this movie with all my heart.