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Only comparatively recently has Turkish pulp cinema come to the
attention of an international audience of pulp- and trashfilm lovers, and
many Turkish cinematic treasures have become available on DVD in watchable
form and with English subtitles only due to the efforts of a little Greek
company, Onar Films (http://www.onarfilms.com), which have
picked up operation about two and a half years ago, and whose efforts
regarding Turkish pulp cinema just cannot be overstated. (re)Search my
Trash has now taken some time to talk with Bill Barounis, founder and
head of Onar Films, about his company, his releases and Turkish
pulp cinema in general. Enjoy ... First of all, could you give
us a historic breakdown on Turkish pulp cinema, when did production of
these movies start (approximately), when did it peak, which were some of
the key movies and key actors and directors, and what were the main
influences ?
Turkish cinema is said to have started in the beginning of the 20th century but
unfortunately no samples have survived. The first historical title, according to
my knowledge is BIR
KAVUK DEVRILDI from 1938. In 1949 we have the first (?) horror/mystery film,
CIGLIK (The Scream). Sadly, as far as I know no films of the 40's- let alone
30's- have survived! Statistically speaking maybe there are a few ones left.
During the 50's things improved in many ways. More titles per year, more
expensive productions and more films that managed to survive. TARZAN ISTANBUL'DA
(1952) was a genuine Tarzan film that had nothing to envy from the western
productions. DRAKULA ISTANBUL'DA (1953) was a serious and effective version of
Stoker's book. Lots of other films used the ISTANBUL'DA (IN ISTANBUL) addition, giving an air of local nationalism to the relevant
movie. They didn't say IN ANKARA or IN TURKEY but IN ISTANBUL.
The collectors claim that this Tarzan
movie was the first Superhero
film and paved the way for the later established TURKISH FANTASTIC
CINEMA genre.
Whether a movie is a key movie depends on whether it has ever been
viewed.
I would assume that UCAN DAIRELER ISTANBUL'DA (FLYING SAUCERS IN
ISTANBUL)
(1955) would be a key movie if only I or anybody else had seen it.
So, we have to base our opinions on the movies we or some esteemed reviewer has
seen.
According to facts, regardless of whether people have or have not seen these
movies, 1967 is considered a real key year with lots of key titles.
For many movie scholars, the most cult and best movies were released that year:
KILINK ISTANBUL'DA, KILINK UCAN ADAM
KARSI, about 5 more Kilink films,
FANTOMA
ISTANBUL'DA BULUSALIM, ALTIN COCUK BEYRUT'TA, KARA ATMACA etc.
Yilmaz Atadeniz was the expert of the Superhero and action genre, with the first
3 Kilink films,
CASUS KIRAN, MASKELI SEYTAN etc. He even made a Jules Verne
movie in 1964, IKI SENE MEKTEP TATILI (TWO WEEKS' VACATION).
T. Fikret Ucak with 3 DEV ADAM and Kunt Tulgar with
SÜPERMEN DÖNÜYOR are
considered masters of this genre as well.
As for actors, the best superhero persona is Irfan Atasoy who must have played
with a mask on in dozens of films.
Cuneyt Arkin, Aytekin Akkaya, Kadir Inanir, Yildirim Gencer, Altan Gunbay,
Huseyin Zan etc are the most well- known action and superhero names.
Turkish Cinema had an enrormous range of influences and there was no genre that
they didn't try their hand on.
We have come to know many films by their nicknames, not their real titles:
DUNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM (MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD) is known as TURKISH STAR WARS
for example. ALTIN COCUK BEYRUT'TA (GOLDEN BOY IN BEYRUT) is known as
TURKISH
JAMES BOND, even though almost nobody has ever actually seen it! Looks like the
Turks themselves gave birth to those nicknames.
What in your opinion makes these movies, despite
their often obvious shortcomings, so fascinating ?
These movies were made by true FANS. If you check the interviews on my
DVDs
you'll see how enthusiastic those people are about those films. They had no
money to make a decent production in art terms but they sure had
imagination and PASSION on what they did. Besides, they are unrepeatable. There
was a specific chemistry on each and every film, with actors, directors, plot,
stunts, women, f/x, that gives out a romantic and charming frenzy. Some of your
favourite Turkish films ?
Most of them are films that I have NOT seen and probably never will as they are
considered lost. From the ones I have seen I love Cuneyt Arkin flicks,
like KOROGLU, KUSCU, DESTAN, BABALIK, OLUM
SAVASCISI etc. Also, KARANLIK SULAR,
KILINK ISTANBUL'DA, TARZAN ISTANBUL'DA, 3 DEV ADAM,
D@BBE etc Quite often, Turkish films are just
local versions popular characters from (copyrighted) comicbooks and movies
from the West, like Kriminal, Superman, Spiderman, Captain
America or El Santo. Why is that ?
Like I said above, those guys were true FANS of comics and superhero films. They
wanted to express their admiration and love for them by trying their hand on
producing local versions. Besides, people should NOT think they only shot
ripoffs and nothing else. During the 60's and 70's they had a colossal
production of about 500 movies per year, beating Hollywood! Only a tiny portion
of them were actually ripoffs. What exactly made
you start your company, and how easy/difficult is it to get your hand on
the films you are releasing ?
I am a big collector of old ex rental videos and I love tracking down lost
treasures. 3 years ago I thought it was time to get involved in an endless quest
for the most obscure films on earth. Many fans out there must have thought of
doing the same but what with our over-busy life and money shortage almost nobody
actually goes all the way. Maybe it was a coincidence. I have come close to
doing many other things in my life. I have always been hesitant and indecisive
and daunted by circumstances and risks. Ok, I thought "enough of this loser
shit! Time to escape my pathetic self!".
I assure you, I pass through hell to get the films I get! The DVDs you put out usually
feature quite a few specials, including interviews with those involved in
the films. How difficult is it to track these people down nowadays, often
decades after the original release of the film, or do you get the
interviews from somewhere else ?
The only interviews I got from somewhere else were the ones for the 3 DEV ADAM
DVD. I got them from MONDO MACABRO. All the others were taken for me,
personally, with questions I specified. It is totally hard to find those people.
I always depend on someone who knows someone who knows someone etc.
Mind you, I have never travelled to Turkey! I pull all the strings from Athens,
over the phone and the PC. I can't afford to travel abroad like some independent companies who hire a bunch of guys to travel around the
world for some interview.
Let's move on to the films you
have already released (in reverse order of release dates): Your newest one
is Casus Kiran/Spy Smasher (1968), directed by Yilmaz
Atadeniz, a film like so much of Atadeniz output based on an American
serial (Spy Smasher [1942, William Witney] - which was actually
also a comicbook). What can you tell us about this one ?
Besides the Spy Smasher comic there was also a 60's movie called MISTER X that
inspired Casus Kiran. Casus Kiran was till recently considered a lost
film and nobody has ever seen it, at least in the last 35 years. I am very proud
that I unearthed this one! It was such a brilliant film that a sequel came out 2
years later, CASUS KIRAN YEDI CANLI ADAM (SPY SMASHER MAN OF 7 LIVES). This one
is even rarer than the other but I'm currently having my Turkish hounds
searching for it, although they are telling me it's useless!
[Click
here to buy it directly from Onar Films]
Tarzan
Istanbul'da/Tarzan in Istanbul (1952, Orhan Atadeniz), the
first Turkish Tarzan film, has been lost in obscurity simply for decades
before you unearthed it. Your thoughts on this one.
If it was dubbed in English you would think it's an American film. One of the
best Tarzan films ever.
[Click
here to buy it directly from Onar Films]
Karanlik
Sular/The Serpent's Tale (1993, E Kutlug Ataman) is the most
recent film you have in your program. What makes the film special ?
I read about this film in the Mondo Macabro book many years ago and I was really
intrigued. I liked it a lot and found it a unique film that couldn't be imitated
by anyone. Although I have decided to stick to older than 80's movies I made an
exception on this gem.
[Click
here to buy it directly from Onar Films]
Before
that you released the Superman Double Feature, consisting of Süpermen
Dönüyor/Superman Returns (1979, Kunt Tulgar) and Demir
Yumruk: Devler Geliyor/Iron Fist: The Giants are Coming (1973,
Tunc Basaran). The Superman-film is actually a quick cash in on
Richard Donner's Superman from the previous year, made on the
super-cheap. What made you choose exactly this film for release (which I'm
absolutely grateful you did by the way) ?
I liked it and I knew it had a cult following. It was one of the films that
nobody thought anybody would dare release. I accepted the challenge and that's
all. Of the two films in
this double feature, Iron Fist: The Giants are Coming is actually
the much better (and wilder) film ...
Exactly as I said above! Key films may be the ones we haven't seen yet. This one
was the outsider and nobody knew anything about it.
Now, I can clearly see it was a mistake to release both films on the same DVD.
That's why I'll never do double-bills again.
[Click
here to buy the two films directly from Onar Films]
Before the Superman
Double Feature you released the Horror Double Feature, consisting of Ölüler
Konusmaz Ki/The Dead Don't Talk (1970, Yavuz Yalinkilic) and Aska
Susayanlar Seks ve Cinayet/Thirsty for Love, Sex and Murder
(1972, Mehmet Aslan).The Dead Don't Talk is a very crude
shocker, wouldn't you agree ?
Indeed, but we must see it from the perspective of the Turkish viewers of that
time. Maybe they were really scared. Besides, this is a pure Islamic film with Muslim exorcisms and local superstitions etc. Anyway, at least it's not a
ripoff. On the contrary, there's something unique about it.
In comparison, Thirsty for Love, Sex and Murder is quite an
accomplished production with roots in the Italian giallo-genre ...
Sure, talk about giallo fans! The producers had a great taste.
[Click
here to buy the two films directly from Onar Films]
The superhero-allstar film Uc Dev Adam/Three Mighty Men
(1973, T.Fikret Ucak) is something of a fanboy's dreams come true,
featuring not only Captain America but also El Santo (only
the character not the actual actor) and Spiderman in a rare villain
appearance. Tell us about this one ?
This is probably the epitome of Turkish superhero genre. 3 cult Superheroes in 1
film. The interviews on the DVd are very enlightening on the choices of the
heroes and why Spidey had to be a child-minded maniac. I only
wish there was a sequel! Well, I almost decided to cancel that release because
the producers lamented they had absolutely no materials left. They found a beta
at some tv studio but someone had recorded another film on it! So, I found an
old german vhs and a greek one and managed to make a composit and improved the
quality and voi-la!
[Click
here to buy it directly from Onar Films]
Way back in 2005, you
started your company with the release of the Kilink-films from
1967, all directed by Yilmaz Atadeniz and based not only on the Italian
comicstrip Kriminal and the photonovel Killing but also the
American Adventures of Captain Marvel-serial (1941, John English,
William Witney). In my view these films are a great introduction to
Turkish pulp cinema, but what made you choose them as your first releases
?
There were 11 Kilink
films in Turkey, making them the most cult superhero
series. Too bad only the 3 ones that I released have survived. Actually, KILINK UCAN ADAM
KARSI was a lost film too and nobody had ever seen it. I'll never
stop chasing shadows, looking for the other 8 lost ones, that is.
[Click
here to buy Kilink in Istanbul directly from Onar Films]
[Click
here to buy Kilink vs Superman and Kilink Strip and Kill directly
from Onar Films]
Are there any concrete plans about which films you want to
release next ?
I have already bought a bunch and some of them are: TARZAN KORKUSUZ ADAM,
MASKELI SEYTAN, KIZIL TUG CENGIZ
HAN, DEMIR PENCE KORSAN ADAM etc. These days
I'm in the middle of negotiations for some other titles too. In a few days I
hope I'll be able to make announcements on my site http://www.onarfilms.com.
Which films would you absolutely love to release
(no matter if it's possible or not) ?
The films I'm totally obsessed with are ZAGOR KARA BELA and ZAGOR KARAKORSA'NIN
HAZINELERI, based on the Italian fumetti hero who happens to be my most
favourite comic hero ever. After 3 years of furious search everybody insists I
will never find them! I'd also love to find GORUNMEYEN ADAM ISTANBUL'DA/THE
INVISIBLE MAN IN ISTANBUL (1955), UCAN DAIRELER ISTANBUL'DA/FLYING SAUCERS IN
ISTANBUL (1955), KILINK FRANKENSTEYN'A KARSI and any action movie from the
30's!
Turkey is still producing
the occasinal genre film (some of which are available from your website http://www.onarfilms.com).
What do you think about contemporary Turkish genre and horror cinema ?
I have seen most of the new productions and I can say they are incredibly well
made and effective even though they have some obsessions with Japanese horror
cinema (RING, KAIRO etc)
- which is a good thing after all. D@BBE
is my most
favourite. GEN is also a superior gory giallo that will make western audience
change their mind about Turkish modern cinema. BEYZA'NIN KADINLARI is the most
talked about one and it's actually a riveting original gem. People can view
trailers if they visit my site http://www.onarfilms.com
and check the trailers link. What
are some of your favourite non-Turkish films and directors, and what are
your favourite genres ?
Lucio Fulci of course [Lucio
Fulci biography - click here] ! I love Italian films but I can say classic Japanese
movies have won my heart. JIGOKU (by Nakagawa) and KWAIDAN seem to be my best
movies, of any genre, ever. So, Nobuo Nakagawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Kenji
Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Fukasaku are my best directors.
Of course, I'm crazy with old HK 70's kung fu and horror flicks. And I sure dig
modern action packed movies from Thailand, HK and Korea, like Shiri, Ong Bak
etc. Any interests aside from (Turkish)
cinema ?
I used to be a hunter in my village. Now, I'm hunting down movies. I have a huge
collection of old videos. I also have a big collection of old comic magazines. I
have all Greek Zagor issues. I can't live without trips. If I stop taking even
an hour's trip somewhere I will die. I love Greek nature. My dream is to get
some cash aside and travel to some faraway countries like Iceland, New Zealand,
Japan, Siberia etc. Anything else you want to mention and I simply forgot
to ask ?
I'd like to urge people visit my site blog onarfilms.blogspot.com and
participate in my decisions and plans. People's opinions do count and do matter
when it comes to Onar
Films! Thank you so much for the interview, and the best of
luck with your company, may you release many many more Turkish films ...
I am obliged and grateful!
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