This is a whale of a missed opportunity to properly showcase the music scene of one of the world's most beautiful and alluring cities and its rich and deep cultural tapestry. It's a hasty, shallow and choppily-shot overview of the phenomenally diverse musical panorama of Istanbul. The brief presentation of tunes, songs and performers jump around and the visuals consist of jiggly, color-faded shots that shortchange the city, even if we take for granted the producer's intention to focus strictly on Beyoglu, the "Old Stamboul" district north of the Golden Horn. I guess we should be grateful that SOME Turkish music has been brought our way, but it's like getting an overview of American jazz and popular music by listening to micro-snippets --from King Oliver to the latest rap phenom. And the glorious city is given but a minimal chance to show off the sights and sounds that inspire so much of its music.
