Baba Bizi Eversene

In 1975, the sole raison d'être for the creation of "Baba Bizi Eversene" (Father, Make Us Marry) was to capitalise on the immense popularity of Baris Manco and Kurtalan Ekspres, the musical sensations of the era. Rival film companies had cultivated their own star power, churning out films that dominated the Anatolian box office, thus feeding the lifeblood of Yesilcam, the Turkish film industry. Erman Film, in a desperate gamble, took a monumental leap of faith with this production.

The grandest mansions of Istanbul were rented (locations previously graced by films like "Bizim Aile"), a few scenes were even shot on location in Izmir, and astronomical fees were paid to Baris Manco and Kurtalan Ekspres, who had never before (and would never again) accept film offers.

However, the film's Achilles' heel lay behind the camera. Oksal Pekmezoglu, a director with a less-than-stellar career both before and after this project, was placed at the helm. Pekmezoglu, whose trajectory began as an illustrator and later plunged into the realm of erotic films, left his mark on the film, even with the presence of the conservative Baris Manco in the cast.

The film possesses a semblance of a story, but the script is virtually nonexistent. It's essentially a Baris Manco concert thinly veiled as a narrative, complete with fourth-wall-breaking moments.

In essence, it's a quintessential Yesilçam production. It's worth noting that the voices of Erhan Yazicioglu and Sener Sen grace the film through dubbing, further solidifying its place in the annals of Turkish cinema.

The film's cinematography, while not groundbreaking, captures the essence of 1970s Istanbul with its vibrant colors and bustling streets. The soundtrack, featuring original songs by Baris Manco and Kurtalan Ekspres, is undoubtedly the film's saving grace. The music is infectious and memorable, and it's easy to see why it resonated with audiences at the time.

Despite its flaws, "Baba Bizi Eversene" remains a fascinating time capsule of Turkish pop culture in the 1970s. It's a testament to the power of star power and the enduring appeal of Baris Manco's music. While it may not be a cinematic masterpiece, it's a cultural artifact that offers a glimpse into a bygone era of Turkish cinema.

First, the title better translates as "Father, Marry Us"

The whole reason I decided to write this review was to point that out, along with expressing my astonishment at the fact that the plot summary featured here fails to mention the role of the single most important actor in the film, namely, Barış Manço. Seriously, the whole reason I'm giving this film full points is that it's Barış Manço's one and only film. Check Turkish music sites (and progarchives) if you don't have an idea who he is.

Here's what's wrong with the synopsis:

"A hopelessly yearning hippie": OK, that's basically how the film starts. I presume the hippie to be Barış Manço's character's brother-in-law to be.

"is left alone with a newborn baby": so far so good

"when his just married parents go for a vacation,": first, let's address the ambiguity here: whose parents, the baby's, or the hippie's? Considering the baby was actually female (and assuming the original synopsis writer gave a sh*t about this fact!) we can reasonably suppose, the hippie's. But nay. First, if someone is old enough to be a hippie, his parents couldn't have been "just married", right? That wasn't the case, even in the seventies :); well, not down here anyway. More on this further down. And there is no vacation whatsoever in the plot.

"but wittily he finds a solution to get back his expatriate girlfriend,": OK, admittedly, at this point I realized the synopsis was actually talking about Barış Manço's character (Mahir), but with a very poor wording choice! Hence my confusion :) Honestly, the "hippie" description fits Erol better than Mahir, in it that Mahir actually has a job (in Erol's father's factory!), at least at the beginning. Well, notwithstanding his looks, of course. But in my defense, Erol also has long(ish) hair, is a poor excuse for a student, and takes almost nothing seriously. I rest my case.

"utilizing the baby who has no idea what is going on.": somewhat true, more below.

In short, what actually goes on in the beginning is something like this: Mahir (Manço) is an accountant in Fazıl Bey's (Hulusi Kentmen) pharmaceutical factory. He seems to be in a relationship with Fazıl's daughter Sevim (Meral Zeren), who had been sent to study abroad by Fazıl, just to keep them apart. Just around the time Sevim comes back to Turkey (notifying both her father and her boyfriend by sending them respective postcards), Fazıl's son Erol is handed over a baby by his (clearly older and apparently promiscuous) girlfriend, who claims it is his. At first Erol has a hard time concealing the baby from his family, and eventually Sevim finds out about it. That's where the "utilizing" part comes in. Sevim tricks Mahir into pretending the baby is actually his (and hers!), in order to convince Fazıl to give consent to their relationship. The rest can be considered spoilers, so I leave it at that.

Now, since the "main man" in this film is first and foremost a musician, one would only hope the film is filled with his songs. That's exactly the case, and not just vocal songs, but also (at least snippets of) instrumental works. Here's a short recap:

The opening music (not title sequence) of the film is a different (and instrumental) take of "Ben Bilirim", a-side of the single Manço released the same year. Later in the film the vocal version also plays.

In an effort to conceal the baby's crying from his parents, Erol turns up the volume of the music playing in his room, and surprise surprise, it's a Barış Manço song! The funny thing here is, he plays the song in his turntable (which would be the most logical thing to do in 1975), but the actual song never made it into a vinyl record! In fact, it's a then-unreleased piece by Manço and one of his earlier bands (Kaygısızlar) recorded in the late sixties (presumably 1968) in Paris, planned as a single, but somehow didn't make it onto vinyl. Another version of the song (titled "Trip (to a Fair)") was released on a single back in 1968. The "film version", along with its companion piece "Susanna" (guitar solo of which is featured briefly in the same scene), saw a music media release in 1979 or 1980, in a compilation cassette, and later on a couple of other compilations, but never on vinyl even to this day, so the fact that Erol plays that song on a record is slightly misleading. This version of the song is titled slightly differently in the albums it appears on, "Fairground" (though the first editions of the '79/'80 compilation does not list the track at all on the cover!) The film is also notable to be the first medium the song is released on.

In the next scene, Mahir rehearses with his band consisting of some factory workers, who are conveniently members of Manço's actual band at the time! The same musicians performed in most of the films soundtrack (if you can call it as such...) The song they rehearse is the closing track of Manço's (debut) "2023" album, released the same year with the film.

In a slapstick type play tag scene, the instrumental coda of "Acıh da bağa vir!" (opening track from Manço's 2023 album) plays in a sped- up version. The actual song also appears later on.

About halfway into the film, Mahir sings a song ("Gamzedeyim Deva Bulmam") at a tavern, which is the b-side of Manço and his then- current band's first single, from 1972.

Snippets from the title track of the "2023" album (and its spoken- word introduction "Kayaların Oğlu", but only instrumental parts), play several times throughout the film.

The closing song (which was also the title sequence) is yet another single track ("Nazar Eyle Nazar Eyle"), this time from 1974.

Hopefully you'll find it with English subtitles. Enjoy!