Turkish Delight (1973) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

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Sort of a cross between "Love Story" and an earthy Rembrandt painting, this movie stars Rutger Hauer as a gifted Dutch sculptor who has a stormy, erotic, and star-crossed romance with a beautiful young girl. The story follows the arc of their relationship and his interaction with her family. Told in flashback form, initially Hauer is seen as a libertine lothario collector, taking trophies from his sexual conquests and pasting them in a book. He sees a sculpture he made of his lost lover and goes into a flashback of his relationship with his wife. He meets the girl, falls in love with/marries her, and we meet her parents: a charming, well meaning, bumbling father, and his shrew of a wife, who's convinced Hauer's too much of a bohemian to make a good mate for her daughter. Eventually, the petty jealousies, the sexual hijinks, and the climactic vomit scene prove too much for the marriage, and sculptor and his lady fair separate. Flash forward several months, and Hauer finds the girl back in Holland after an American sojourn. Their reunion is short lived; the somewhat melodramatic ending mirrors "Love Story".

Cast & Crew

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Paul Verhoeven

Monique Van De Ven

Rutger Hauer

Tonny Huurdeman

Wim Van Den Brink

Jan Bosdriesz

Film Details

Also Known As

Turkisk konfekt, Turks Fruit

MPAA Rating

Genre

Adaptation

Drama

Release Date

1973

Location

Netherlands

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 47m

Color

Color

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Synopsis

A free spirited sculptor enters into a passionate affair with the beautiful Olga, whose thirst for sexual experimentation matches his own. As their romance progresses, the two decide to marry, but their relationship is opposed by Olga's mother, who thinks Erik is unfit to marry her daughter. Slowly, Erik and Olga's families poison their relationship.

Director

Paul Verhoeven

Cast

Monique Van De Ven

Rutger Hauer

Tonny Huurdeman

Wim Van Den Brink

Crew

Jan Bosdriesz

Jan De Bont

Dp/Cinematographer

Jan De Bont

Director Of Photography

Rob Houwer

Gerard Soeteman

Rogier Van Otterloo

Jan Wolkers

Source Material (From Novel)

Film Details

Also Known As

Turkisk konfekt, Turks Fruit

MPAA Rating

Genre

Adaptation

Drama

Release Date

1973

Location

Netherlands

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 47m

Color

Color

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Award Nominations

Best Foreign Language Film

1974

Quotes

I fuck better than God.
- Eric Vonk

Trivia

The book that the film based on, is very popular and is read a lot in Dutch schools.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1973

Released in United States April 1981

Released in United States November 2006

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1973

Released in United States April 1981 (Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (FilmEssay: The Best of Filmex) April 2-23, 1981.)

Released in United States November 2006 (Shown at AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival (20 Years of AFI Fest) November 1-12, 2006.)

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