STRIKE THE WHORE

STRIKE THE WHORE (VURUN KAHPEYE), 1949

Turkey | Bluray, Black & White, 112’ | Turkish with English subtitlesDirector: Lütfi Akad
Cast: Sezer Sezin, Kemal Tanrıöver, Settar Körmükçü

This film, adapted to screen from Halide Edip Adıvar’s novel of the same name, was Akad’s debut film. Not only did it bring a new director to the cinema of Turkey but it also opened a new era. Aliye is a teacher in Anatolia who is a supporter of the National Forces during the Turkish War of Independence. The film shows how Aliye is stuck between the townspeople and the foreign troops and ends up being lynched to death because she comes into conflict with reactionary elements. Strike the Whore had a run of five weeks at the Istanbul Taksim Cinema and was a box-office record-breaker at that time.