Süt Kardesler

Sut Kardesler (Foster Brothers), now a definite comedy classic in Turkey, is an adaptation from an early XX. century Turkish novel (Gulyabani by Gurpinar). It is also an adaptation of the traditional Turkish theater, mainly based on improvisation, misunderstandings, practical jokes, etc. The adapting process is not limited only to the elements of Turkish culture: it also borrows (without permission) some scenes from "A Shot in the Dark" by Blake Edwards. The cast is nearly the entire squad of the Turkish comedy actors in the 70s (with the exception of Munir Ozkul). The result was a definite commercial success and the movie's popularity is not diminished, if not enlarged, over the thirty years of its production. Although the director, Ertem Egilmez, is not considered as a milestone in Turkish cinematography, he delivers the project quite successfully, provides an original musical score (which is an issue in the movies of this era), prevents the overshadowing of Sener Sen who is in a supportive role by then comedy-duo Kemal Sunal and Halit Akcatepe. The movie does not have sequels but it is seen by many as the first one of a trilogy (Others being Sabanoglu Saban and Tosun Pasa). These other two movies have more or less the same cast as Sut Kardesler, based on the same formula, both being commercial success, but never quite as popular as the former. For the Turkish audience the movie is like a bed time story from their childhood, the plot and the jokes are well known but still appealing, with the strong flavor of nostalgia. But for someone who is not familiar with the actors and local jokes, it is just an old fashion burlesque comedy, related in a way to French or Italian comedies before 80s.