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Turkey Doesn't Want You to See 'The Promise' This Weekend — Here's Why You Should

April 21, 2017
Staff

WRITER

It took decades and a $100 million deathbed gift to bring The Promise to theaters this weekend, but it's finally happening.

The Promise tells the story of 1.5 million Armenian Christians slaughtered under the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the last century in modern day Turkey. It's an epic tale starring Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac and Charlotte Le Bon. The story of bringing the movie to life nearly deserves its own feature film.

RELATED: ‘The Promise’ Dares to Tell the Truth About the Armenian Genocide

Originally intended to star Clark Gable, the project was shelved after Turkey threatened to close MGM markets in the Middle East. After one investor bought and sold MGM four times, he gave $100 million on his deathbed to ensure the story of the Armenian people would be told. To this day, it's a story the Turkish government wants to smother.

"Here's why I would love for this to have a huge opening weekend: Turkey is now threatening all of the theater chains saying 'We will boycott you if you carry this movie.' Even if you're not going to go see a movie this weekend, go online right now and buy one ticket. Buy two tickets . . . even if you can't go," Glenn said Friday on radio.

The Promise opens in theaters today.

Listen to this segment beginning at mark 25:05 from The Glenn Beck Program:

Glenn: So the guy who is not really a filmmaker, he's more of a real estate developer back in I think the '70s bought MGM. And made a lot of money off the sale of MGM. The studio system was tanking, and he bought MGM, and then he sold off a lot of the parts, and then he sold the whole thing. And all the parts started to grow, and then it caved again, and he was, like, I'll buy it. So he bought it again. And then he sold off the parts, and then he took the name, and he said "We're going to make the MGM Grand in Vegas, and we'll try to, you know, restore the brand name for what it is, blah, blah, blah. He built it up, he sold it, and it collapsed again. He bought it I think three or four times. Okay? From, like, 1968 to his death in 2004, he had bought and sold MGM like four times. And he made a ton of money.

This movie was originally -- it's called the promise. This movie, not the way it is being shown now, the first time went into production, Clark Gabel was the star.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: Okay?

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: Turkey, you think of Turkey as being a nobody nation back then; right? Why would we care?

PAT: They're barely somebody now. They're only somebody now because they're in NATO. But then, nobody cared about Turkey.

GLENN: And really, you look at it now, and you think who cares about Turkey; right?

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: So back then, they were in production with this movie with Clark Gabel. And Turkey said, "We will close the market for you, MGM, in Turkey, and we will close it all through the Middle East."

PAT: So.

GLENN: That's what I thought. They --

PAT: So.

GLENN: They canceled the movie.

PAT: That's amazing.

GLENN: This movie has been off and on, off and on for decades, and nobody has ever made this movie. So the guy who bought and sold MGM time and time again, he knew that. And he was also a believer that the Armenian genocide needed to be called genocide. On his death bed, he put $100 million -- he willed $100 million to this movie and said "The movie can be made now, and it could be made outside of the studio system, so don't worry about it. Make it."

The Clark Gabel character is Christian Bale, and it's called the promise. It opens this weekend, and this is such an important -- you notice I'm not saying it's a film. It's being compared to Doctor Zhivago, but I have to tell you I've watched Doctor Zhivago.

PAT: Oh, my gosh.

GLENN: I want to hang myself with Doctor Zhivago. That is a beautiful film. This is a great movie. Okay?

PAT: And it's interesting because the critics don't like it but the audience loves it. 47 percent from critics, 87 percent from the audience.

GLENN: I think it is great. I think it is great. And I was -- when somebody does a movie, and they're trying to make a point, they're, like, stop with the point. Don't jam it down my -- they don't. It's just a good -- it's not a film. Not an important film to see. It's a great movie. But it is the first time. And here's the thing. Here's why I would love for this to have a huge opening weekend is Turkey is now threatening all of the theater chains saying "We will boycott you if you carry this movie.

JEFFY: I don't know about you, but so.

GLENN: Even if you're not going to go see a movie this weekend, go online right now and buy one ticket. Buy two tickets. Just even if you can't go. I urge you to go because it's a good movie. I mean, Christian Bale is in it. It's a good movie. And, ladies, I believe he has his shirt off. I don't recall but that can't hurt.

But it's a good movie.

JEFFY: Why does it have to be just for ladies?

GLENN: I'm sorry for being so cis, gender-focused or whatever that is. Man, I feel bad about that.

PAT: Ciscentric.

GLENN: Ciscentric. Thank you. My gosh, how cis-centric about me. I feel bad about that. I really do. But see it. It's called "The Promise". A movie that has taken almost a century to make. Opens this weekend.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE