Turkish Delight (1973)

A young love must struggle against an old problems.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (screenplay), 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
Rutger Hauer	...	Eric
Tonny Huurdeman	...	Moeder
Wim van den Brink	...	Vader
Hans Boskamp	...	Winkelchef
Dolf de Vries	...	Paul
Manfred de Graaf	...	Henny
Dick Scheffer	...	Accountant
Marjol Flore	...	Tineke
Bert Dijkstra	...	Functionaris
Bert André	...	Functionaris in Limburg
Jon Bluming	...	Beveiliging
Paul Brandenburg	...	Bruidegom
Suze Broks	...	Eric's One night stand (as Suzie Broks)
David Conyers	...	Amerikaan

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:

female removes her clothes | female full frontal nudity | nude model | pink panties | panties | 

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Taglines:

This is the indulgence of passion

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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

Paul Verhoeven's father reportedly refused to see the movie after he learned it contained the line "Ik naai beter dan God." ("I screw better than God").

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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 Flesh + Steel: The Making of 'RoboCop' (2001)

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Soundtracks

Meisjes met rode haren
(uncredited)
Written by Manfred Oberdörffer (uncredited) & Hans Georg Moslener (uncredited)
Dutch lyrics by Pim van Zijl (uncredited)
Performed by Arne Jansen (uncredited)

User Reviews

What a delight indeed

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.