Turkish Delight (1973)
"Turks fruit" (original title)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman, Jan Wolkers (novel)

Stars:

Monique van de Ven, Rutger Hauer, Tonny Huurdeman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monique van de Ven	...	Olga Stapels
Rutger Hauer	...	Eric Vonk, the sculptor
Tonny Huurdeman	...	Olga's mother
Wim van den Brink	...	Olga's father
Hans Boskamp	...	Winkelchef
Dolf de Vries	...	Paul
Manfred de Graaf	...	Henny
Dick Scheffer	...	Accountant
Marjol Flore	...	Tineke
Bert Dijkstra	...	Civil servant
Bert André
Jon Bluming
Paul Brandenburg
Suze Broks	...	(as Suzie Broks)
David Conyers

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

love | sculptor | mirror | vomit | jealousy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English

Release Date:

September 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eric and Olga

Filming Locations:

Alkmaar, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

NLG 800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Verenigde Nederlandsche Filmcompagnie (VNF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Willeke van Ammelrooy was the first choice for the role of Olga. Jan Wolkers, who wrote the novel this film is based on, thought she'd be perfect for the part. However, director Paul Verhoeven demanded she'd shave her head for the hospital scene. This would mean van Ammelrooy had to decline other job offers. Besides that, producer Rob Houwer didn't want to pay the 50,000 guilders van Ammelrooy asked. He was only willing to pay 19,000 guilders.

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Goofs

The level of "poisoned" gin on the beach changes from high to low and back to high as scene changes.

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Quotes

Eric Vonk: I screw better than God.

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Connections

Referenced in Betty Blue (1986)

User Reviews

"Love Story" told by Paul Verhoeven

Few days ago, I watched the documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) about a channel that had brought the great and unavailable anywhere else films to its 100, 000 lucky subscribers in LA in 70s - 80s. While enjoying the clips from many Foreign and Independent movies that were the best part of documentary, I was able to recognize the movie that I saw many years ago in Moscow and still remember well, I could not only recall the title. I remember that the movie was Dutch, very erotic – in the raw, brutal, twisted yet beautiful and passionate way. Watching "Z Channel..." I was happy to instantly recognize "Turks fruit" (1973) aka "Turkish Delight" made by Paul Verhoeven in 1973. I checked with Netflix, the movie was available; I bumped it up in my queue and just finished watching it. My memory served me well - Verhoeven's early film is as naturalistic, earthy, brutal, erotic, humorous, poetic, poignant, and captivating as I remember it. Based on the novel by Jan Wolker, "Turkish Delight" stars young, hot, very sexy (and I mean it - VERY SEXY) Rutger Hauer as a bohemian free spirited and often cruel sculptor Eric and even younger Monique van de Van as his wife Olga, child-like yet as sensual as Eric was, "the light of his life, the fire of his loins". The film that describes their stormy relationship has become the most financially successful Holland's film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film and was proclaimed by Jan Wolker a "75% masterpiece".

There are not very many directors in the world that can create the atmosphere of raw sensuality as well as Verhoeven (of his Dutch period, especially). Verhoeven is known for uncompromising approach to his work, fiery temperament, and aggressive movie-making. Joe Ezsterhaus who worked with Verhoeven on two films said about him: "The guy is like his movies: brilliant, mercurial, very daring, perverse, a wonderful series of paradoxes and contradictions..." "The Turkish Delight" is all that and I love it but I can understand how its graphic sexuality, more than one disgusting and revolting scenes (but they had to be in the movie) and crude behavior may put off a lot of viewers. Be prepared, "Turkish Delight" is delightful but it is very intense and often not easy to watch.

8/10