Turkish délices

Best Dutch film ever.

A pre action movie Rutger Hauer proves he can act.

The full romantic scrambles this film shows probably hit home for so many people. Hence it's success.

It continues to be successful. It recently played Tokyo again in a few art houses and people were lined up. Not just the Dutch expats either, EVERYBODY.

It well deserved its nomination. If the Genius Kurosawa hadn't been nominated, this would have won.

Rutger, we hardly knew ye. HAIL!

Paul Verhoeven is known as provocative filmmaker who likes to create daring visual images. He's mostly known by his Hollywood films with unsteady quality. 'Turkish Delight' was Verhoevens first hit in Netherlands and was voted as best Dutch film of the century. With the very first minutes Verhoeven manages to disturb the viewer and unsuspecting viewer can even start to think - what I just got myself into? Very bold depiction of sex and sexuality doesn't seem forced and even the small bursts of intense violence don't stand out from the rest of the film as some bright (or dark) spots.

'Turkish Delight' is heartwarming and heartbreaking love story between free spirited Olga (Monique van de Ven) and care free sculptor Eric (Rutger Hauer). Both main stars have such a chemistry between them that nothing seems to forced. Their relationship seems as natural as sunshine in Florida (or rain in London).

Very few directors are capable of making such warm films with provocative aplomb and Verhoeven is master at this game.

Turkish delight is a book by the Dutch true artist Jan Wolkers: a painter, a sculptor, a writer. Symbol of sexual liberation in the 60's and 70's with a series of books about his youth, freeing himself of protestant chains and the general revolt against the bourgeoisie, Wolkers made himself big. But he became larger than life with his contribution to Dutch culture and the understanding of the Dutch mind. The movie itself is a delight with scenes shot in Amsterdam and the greater Amsterdam area: all that is fashionable passes by, not just sexual freedom and the confrontation with society. And the beauty of both Rutger Hauer and Monique van der Ven, is a well deserved extra.

The first successful film from Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven, famous for of course Robocop and Basic Instinct (and infamous for Showgirls) is a small scale, human relationship drama that not only established the careers of Verhoeven and start Rutget Hauer but signalled the new wave for the Dutch film industry. However Turks Fruit is nothing more than the Dutch Love Story, as moody artist Eric (Hauer) falls in love with Olga (Monique van de Ven) after the young lady pick him up from the side of a motorway. The film is littered with so much bawdy humour I'm sure Benny Hill was kicking himself somewhere for not thinking of it, in one particular cringe inducing scene Eric gets himself caught in the zip of his pants, the couple then has to drive around franticly to find a set of pliers. I'm sure this kind of schoolboy theatrics played well to the Dutch polo-neck brigade, but as the film shifts into more serious territory the humour only deflates any building melodrama that Verhoeven was probably shooting for.

Another problem with the film is Hauer's character Eric; he's too much of a chauvinist and bully, not only towards Olga, but even more so to the numerous women he sleeps with after she has left (You're fat is just one example of his pillow talk). We never feel anything for him, not that Hauer isn't good in the role he plays it very well, but playing butch carefree characters has never been too much of a stretch for him. Van de Ven is impressive as the liberated Olga, and she would go on to give another fine performance in Keetje Tippel, but she is used too much like an object and never really becomes likable enough. Definitely a product of its time, the sexual revolution was noticeably in full swing, as Eric goes from woman to woman without a seconds though about the consequences. It's this dating that also detracts from the film. Whatever Verhoeven was trying to say about relationships, and the constant power play between men and women, he just doesn't get the balance right. All in all, Turks Fruit is an impressive early feature that tries to belie it's exploitation roots and to become series storytelling just a little too late in the game. 6/10

"Turks Fruit",based on the novel written by the legendary Dutch writer Jan Wolkers,is a true Dutch classic. That doesn't mean that much since my country isn't a major player in World cinema.Yet this film is very good and very famous.

It was voted the best Dutch film ever a few years ago when a national poll was held in Holland.It's tough to agree with that,since I haven't seen all the classics but it's right up there,that much is true.

The sex and dirty images of poo are not for everyone to see,yet it is essential to the free culture of Amsterdam in the 1970's.

Amsterdam was the center of the world in the 70's,so my mother told me. That was probably the reason why she left France (she is French) and came to Amsterdam."Turks Fruit" shows a very poignant picture of the city at that time and the sexual liberation of them days.

The directing by the,at that time,young Paul Verhoeven is splendid and it's no mystery why he left Holland to go to Hollywood.His talents are clear but another reason was that he was misunderstood in Holland so he said himself.

The camera work is great,but that's no surprise since it's done by one of the greatest cameramen Jan de Bont (who became famous in the 90's with his action classics "Speed" and "Twister",especially "Speed" show the superb talents of de Bont when it comes to camera work).

The film also launched the careers of Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven. Van de Ven stayed in Holland,playing in some of the best Dutch films and Hauer went to Hollywood and gained cult fame when he starred in "Blade Runner",a terrific performance by Hauer.

Verhoeven and Hauer would team up again 4 years later to make the Dutch war classic "Soldaat van Oranje".

"Turks Fruit" is truly the epitome of 70's Dutch cinema with it's liberated sex approach that would echo in several other Dutch films in the 70's and 80's.

Very important for Holland but maybe too much for the rest of the world,especially for the rather prudish Hollywood.

Essential viewing though for everyone who wants to know something about the Dutch cinema. 8/10