Do you know what she did? Your charming Turkish daughter.
A more or less shot-for-shot remake of William Friedkin's better known "The Exorcist", this 1974 Turkish interpretation has come in for a lot of flak over the years, and yet, despite its somewhat 'low-budget-knock-off' reputation, still retains a supernatural power all of its own.
First off, I see no real reason to slate a bunch of cash-strapped movie makers simply for taking an idea from the filthy lucre dripping devils of Hollywood. There are countless versions of and remakes of, for instance, Dracula, including the early knock-off "Nosferatu" which is of course now regarded as a classic. Perhaps "Seytan" itself will one day regarded as a milestone in movie surrealism.
Yes, surrealism. A piece of art can be called surrealistic when it takes a common object or theme (the obvious example being Dali's timepieces) and then contorts them and bends them into something different and somehow sinister. And this is exactly what director Metin Erksan (of "Turkish Female Hamlet" fame) does with his source material here. What was once Roman Catholic is now Islamic, where once the 'power of Christ compelled you' so now the supremacy of Allah obliges you, and so on.
The film also features some standout performances from its cast: Cihan Anal gives a powerhouse performance as Tugrul Bilge (Karras, in the other version), he looks a bit like a Turkish Gene Hackman but is the better actor; and then there is Canan Pervert as Gül (Regan) whose understated and subtle turn brings so much more to the part of a young girl experiencing the most terrifying demonic phenomena. Agast Hün as the unnamed exorcist also shines, although Meral Taygun as Gül's mum comes across as a little too icy and hard nosed in some scenes.
Some wonderful moments to watch for include the 'bouncing on the bed' scene, Bilge's fall/leap onto the stairs (he just keeps on rolling!!!) and the electrifying moment when the papier mâché demon itself appears in the bedroom prompting Gül to worship it on the bed. And how the scene in which Gül repeatedly stabs herself in the private area (here the crucifix from the US version is substituted for a demon-headed letter opener) passed the Turkish censor I will never know...
The movie finishes with the lovely touch of Gül in a mosque, symbolically making her peace with an obvious Mohammed figure, but to be honest, the viewer is still left with that nagging feeling of uneasiness which leaves you unable to sleep peacefully, a quality it shares with its American cousin.
Finally, although this movie is available on DVD with English subs, I watched this in its original Turkish format so may have missed a few choice comedy translations. Even so, this was an hour and forty minutes well spent - a masterpiece of Turkish cinema.
A more or less shot-for-shot remake of William Friedkin's better known "The Exorcist", this 1974 Turkish interpretation has come in for a lot of flak over the years, and yet, despite its somewhat 'low-budget-knock-off' reputation, still retains a supernatural power all of its own.
First off, I see no real reason to slate a bunch of cash-strapped movie makers simply for taking an idea from the filthy lucre dripping devils of Hollywood. There are countless versions of and remakes of, for instance, Dracula, including the early knock-off "Nosferatu" which is of course now regarded as a classic. Perhaps "Seytan" itself will one day regarded as a milestone in movie surrealism.
Yes, surrealism. A piece of art can be called surrealistic when it takes a common object or theme (the obvious example being Dali's timepieces) and then contorts them and bends them into something different and somehow sinister. And this is exactly what director Metin Erksan (of "Turkish Female Hamlet" fame) does with his source material here. What was once Roman Catholic is now Islamic, where once the 'power of Christ compelled you' so now the supremacy of Allah obliges you, and so on.
The film also features some standout performances from its cast: Cihan Anal gives a powerhouse performance as Tugrul Bilge (Karras, in the other version), he looks a bit like a Turkish Gene Hackman but is the better actor; and then there is Canan Pervert as Gül (Regan) whose understated and subtle turn brings so much more to the part of a young girl experiencing the most terrifying demonic phenomena. Agast Hün as the unnamed exorcist also shines, although Meral Taygun as Gül's mum comes across as a little too icy and hard nosed in some scenes.
Some wonderful moments to watch for include the 'bouncing on the bed' scene, Bilge's fall/leap onto the stairs (he just keeps on rolling!!!) and the electrifying moment when the papier mâché demon itself appears in the bedroom prompting Gül to worship it on the bed. And how the scene in which Gül repeatedly stabs herself in the private area (here the crucifix from the US version is substituted for a demon-headed letter opener) passed the Turkish censor I will never know...
The movie finishes with the lovely touch of Gül in a mosque, symbolically making her peace with an obvious Mohammed figure, but to be honest, the viewer is still left with that nagging feeling of uneasiness which leaves you unable to sleep peacefully, a quality it shares with its American cousin.
Finally, although this movie is available on DVD with English subs, I watched this in its original Turkish format so may have missed a few choice comedy translations. Even so, this was an hour and forty minutes well spent - a masterpiece of Turkish cinema.