THE OTHER SIDE OF BEYOĞLU

THE OTHER SIDE OF BEYOĞLU (BEYOĞLU’NUN ARKA YAKASI), 1986
Turkey | HDD, Color, 90’ | Turkish
Director: Şerif Gören
Cast: Tarık Akan, Oya Aydoğan, Erdal Özyağcılar

Following the escapade of civil servant Haydar, who wants to have a night on the town after an argument with his wife, the film’s protagonist is the streets of Beyoğlu. On one side is a film crew shooting a film about the history of Pera, from its churches to the Galata Tower, and on the other side is the colorful nightlife of Beyoğlu with its prostitutes, police, arabesque, the “artiste” and the Markiz (patisserie), with its finale at the police station. Director Şerif Gören portrays both a nostalgic homage to Beyoğlu and a parody of that nostalgia while looking at Yeşilçam from its blinded mirror.