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Turkish Delight (film)
Encyclopedia
Turkish Delight is a 1973 Dutch
film
directed by Paul Verhoeven and filmed by Jan de Bont
. The film is a love story
of an artist and a young woman, starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven
. The story is based on the novel Turks fruit by Jan Wolkers
. In 2005 a successful musical
version of Turks fruit was made starring Antonie Kamerling
and Jelka van Houten
.
Turkish Delight is one of the most successful films of the Dutch cinema. The film was a massive success at the Dutch box office, 3,328,804 people saw the film, corresponding to about 27% of the population of the Netherlands at the time. In 1973 it was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Foreign Language Film
and in 1999 it received the award for Best Dutch Film of the Century.
This films is the cinematography
debut of Jan de Bont
.
Olga picks up Eric when he is hitchhiking
, and immediately they hit it off together, both sexually and spiritually. They live together and marry. However, their relationship is strongly resisted by Olga's mother. She does not approve of this Bohemian
sculptor, who lives poorly off his occasional commissions, as a suitable match for Olga. Nevertheless, Eric and Olga get married and Olga's family accepts him.
After a number of adventures, Olga suddenly starts acting strangely. At a party organised by her family, she flirts with a businessman, and after some arguments with Eric, he slaps her and she leaves him. Eric trashes his studio, violently crushing anything that reminded him of Olga. This brings the movie to the point where it opened, ending the flashback.
Eric is still obsessed about Olga, but sees her only occasionally. She acts more and more outrageously, often in the presence of other men. Her family refuses to let Eric visit her, until he says he has come to arrange a divorce. After a short while Olga gets married to an American businessman which soon goes wrong and Olga moves back to the Netherlands.
One day he meets Olga, who is flamboyantly dressed and acting almost completely incoherent. She collapses and is taken to the hospital, where she is diagnosed as having a brain tumor
, but surgical intervention could not remove all of it. It becomes clear that she will die. Eric brings her turkish delight
, which is the only thing she will eat, as she is afraid that harder food will break her teeth. Soon after, she dies.
and Alkmaar
in the Netherlands
.
In 1973 Turkish Delight was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Foreign Language Film
, the year in which the French
Day for Night
won the award.
In 1999 the film received the award for Best Dutch Film of the Century by the Netherlands Film Festival
. Runners-up were another Paul Verhoeven film Soldier of Orange
and Academy Award winning film Character
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
directed by Paul Verhoeven and filmed by Jan de Bont
Jan de Bont
Jan de Bont is a Dutch cinematographer, producer, and film director.-Early life and career:De Bont was born, one of 17 children, to a Roman Catholic family in Eindhoven, Netherlands. His earliest work after studying at the Amsterdam Film Academy was with the Dutch avant garde director Adriaan...
. The film is a love story
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
of an artist and a young woman, starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven
Monique van de Ven
Monica Maria Theresia "Monique" van de Ven is a Dutch actress and director.From 1973 until 1988 she was married to Dutch cinematographer and director Jan de Bont, with whom she lived in Los Angeles for a number of years. She is now married to actor and writer Edwin de Vries.Her film debut as an...
. The story is based on the novel Turks fruit by Jan Wolkers
Jan Wolkers
Jan Hendrik Wolkers was a Dutch author, sculptor and painter.Wolkers is considered one of the "Great Four" writers of post-World War II Dutch literature, along with Willem Frederik Hermans, Harry Mulisch and Gerard Reve...
. In 2005 a successful musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
version of Turks fruit was made starring Antonie Kamerling
Antonie Kamerling
Antonie Kamerling was a Dutch television and film actor and musician.-Biography:Antonie Kamerling was still a law student when in 1990 he was cast in the then new Dutch soap opera Good Times, Bad Times. His character, Peter Kelder, quickly became one of the most popular on the program...
and Jelka van Houten
Jelka van Houten
Jelka van Houten is a Dutch actress of film, stage, and television, though she is perhaps best known for being the sister of fellow actress Carice van Houten. She is currently nominated for a Gouden Notekraker; the judge's who nominated her have said that "her surprising début holds a lot in store...
.
Turkish Delight is one of the most successful films of the Dutch cinema. The film was a massive success at the Dutch box office, 3,328,804 people saw the film, corresponding to about 27% of the population of the Netherlands at the time. In 1973 it was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and in 1999 it received the award for Best Dutch Film of the Century.
This films is the cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
debut of Jan de Bont
Jan de Bont
Jan de Bont is a Dutch cinematographer, producer, and film director.-Early life and career:De Bont was born, one of 17 children, to a Roman Catholic family in Eindhoven, Netherlands. His earliest work after studying at the Amsterdam Film Academy was with the Dutch avant garde director Adriaan...
.
Plot
Eric, a sculptor, wakes up recalling a disturbing dream followed by frantically picking up random women from the streets and taking them back to his studio for sex. However, he is clearly distressed about something, and it turns out that this is the aftermath of his breakup with Olga. The movie then recounts his relationship with Olga.Olga picks up Eric when he is hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
, and immediately they hit it off together, both sexually and spiritually. They live together and marry. However, their relationship is strongly resisted by Olga's mother. She does not approve of this Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
sculptor, who lives poorly off his occasional commissions, as a suitable match for Olga. Nevertheless, Eric and Olga get married and Olga's family accepts him.
After a number of adventures, Olga suddenly starts acting strangely. At a party organised by her family, she flirts with a businessman, and after some arguments with Eric, he slaps her and she leaves him. Eric trashes his studio, violently crushing anything that reminded him of Olga. This brings the movie to the point where it opened, ending the flashback.
Eric is still obsessed about Olga, but sees her only occasionally. She acts more and more outrageously, often in the presence of other men. Her family refuses to let Eric visit her, until he says he has come to arrange a divorce. After a short while Olga gets married to an American businessman which soon goes wrong and Olga moves back to the Netherlands.
One day he meets Olga, who is flamboyantly dressed and acting almost completely incoherent. She collapses and is taken to the hospital, where she is diagnosed as having a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, but surgical intervention could not remove all of it. It becomes clear that she will die. Eric brings her turkish delight
Turkish Delight
Turkish delight or lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; the cheapest are mostly gel, generally flavored with rosewater, mastic, or lemon...
, which is the only thing she will eat, as she is afraid that harder food will break her teeth. Soon after, she dies.
Cast
- Monique van de VenMonique van de VenMonica Maria Theresia "Monique" van de Ven is a Dutch actress and director.From 1973 until 1988 she was married to Dutch cinematographer and director Jan de Bont, with whom she lived in Los Angeles for a number of years. She is now married to actor and writer Edwin de Vries.Her film debut as an...
as Olga Stapels - Rutger Hauer as Eric Vonk
- Tonny Huurdeman as Olga's mother
- Wim van den Brink as Olga's father
- Hans BoskampHans BoskampHans Boskamp was a Dutch footballer and actor.-Club career:Rotterdam-born Boskamp played his club football in Amsterdam for Ajax, BVC Amsterdam and DWS.-International career:...
as shop manager - Dolf de VriesDolf de VriesDolf de Vries is a Dutch actor.He writes plays and writes travel books in his spare time.-Selected filmography:*Turkish Delight *Soldier of Orange *The Fourth Man *Black Book...
as Paul - Manfred de Graaf as Henny
- Dick Scheffer as accountant
- Marjol Flore as Tineke
- Bert Dijkstra as civil servant
Background
Filming locations included AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In 1973 Turkish Delight was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, the year in which the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Day for Night
Day for Night (film)
La Nuit Américaine is a 1973 French film directed by François Truffaut. It stars Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Léaud. In French, nuit américaine is a technical process whereby sequences filmed outdoors in daylight are underexposed to appear as if they are taking place at night...
won the award.
In 1999 the film received the award for Best Dutch Film of the Century by the Netherlands Film Festival
Netherlands Film Festival
The Netherlands Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht.During the ten-day festival, all Dutch film productions of the previous year are exhibited. Besides feature films, the program also consists of short subjects, documentary...
. Runners-up were another Paul Verhoeven film Soldier of Orange
Soldier of Orange
Soldier of Orange is a 1977 Dutch film directed by Paul Verhoeven and produced by Rob Houwer, starring Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbé. The film is set during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, and shows how individual students have different roles in the war...
and Academy Award winning film Character
Character (1997 film)
Character is a 1997 Dutch/Belgian film, based on the best-selling novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk and directed by Mike van Diem. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards...
.