Book | The Midnight Express Phenomenon

Alan Parker, a British director whose wildly eclectic films included a gangster musical with child actors (“Bugsy Malone”), a grim account of prison life (“Midnight Express”), a civil rights drama set in the 1960s (“Mississippi Burning”) and an upbeat tale of Dublin teenagers starting a soul band (“The Commitments”), died July 31 in London. He was 76.

"Then he (Alan Parker) pivoted to “Midnight Express” [*](1978), a throbbingly suspenseful true-life drama about a young American stuck in a Turkish prison that tapped into culture-war passions that feel red-hot relevant to this day. "

[*] Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is a young American caught by Turkish police while attempting to smuggle hash out of Istanbul. He's tried and sent to prison for four years, where he endures all manner of privation and abuse. As he finishes up his time, he's shocked to learn that the Turkish High Court has added a further 30 years to his sentence. He is now thoroughly demoralized, and his life in prison grows increasingly unbearable until he concludes that escape is his only option.

Mavi Boncuk |

The Midnight Express
Phenomenon
The International Reception of the Film
Midnight Express (1978-2004)
Dilek Kaya-Mutlu [1]

2005 156 p.
ISBN
975-428-306-0

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 9
Introduction 11
Chapter 1: The Emergence of Midnight Express as a Film and
Phenomenon 23
Chapter 2: Midnight Express as an "Eastern" and Orientalist
Discourse 45
Chapter 3: Initial Reception of Midnight Express 61
Chapter 4: The Middle Years: Midnight Express in the 1980s and
1990s 87
Chapter 5: Current Reception of Midnight Express: Viewer
Comments on the Internet 107
Conclusion 133
Appendix A - Corrective Turkish Viewer Comment (IMDb) 143
Appendix B - Marginal Response (IMDb) 144
Bibliography 146

[1] Dilek Kaya-Mutlu (Erzurum, 1973) graduated from Galatasaray Highschool in 1992. She earned a BA in economics, an MFA and PhD in film studies at Bilkent University. She also holds an MA in popular culture from Brock University. Her research has focused on the history of Turkish cinema particularly dealing with the films and audiences of Turkish popular cinema (Yegil^am). Her articles on film have appeared in 25. Kare, Geceyarisi Sinemasi, Cahiers Luxembourgeois, and
Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television. She is currently teaching screenwriting and animation at Bilkent University.