Turkey back in the 1970s was noted for many genres, be they melodramas, kung fu 'classics', and of course rom-coms.Turkish romances are noted for many amusing and = recurring elements-The couples would often be named Alev and Ferit, over and over again, mute, blind, or deaf girls would be a common staple, always being cured at the end by the power of love (or by some tragedy they have to avenge, good girls fixing bad boys, and mistaken identity, among many others. Today I'll be looking at two famous entries in the canon, Tatlı Dillim and Yalancı Yarim...
Tatlı Dillim (1972)
An Istanbul college sports team goes on a camping trip for practice, and end up in a pastoral village in the countryside. These city boys have lots of fun here, while the womanising Ferit falls for a pretty local girl Emine. He = for her simple way of life, and the two are married/engaged to be married, but when Ferit has to go back to the city for a while, he succumbs to all his old temptations, and Emine has to get him back on the right track...
Tatlı Dillim (Sweet Talker) is a good romance picture, with much to enjoy, plenty to recommend, and a lot to laugh at! Most times with the movie, some ironically/at it. Getting to the positives, it's a sweet tale of = love Where it faltered for me though was in the conflict. I feel it
The characters are a good mix. Ferit is instantly likeable, though a bit of a cad, and his actions after the midway point make you wanna slap him sideways! Dude, you have a hot wife back in the countryside, forget about all this = nonsense and go bang her! It seems a bit weird how readily he slips back into his old habits once back in Istanbul, immediately hanging around other girls and = pool parties. He completely forgets Emine and her village, which almost seems out of character.
Emine is your typical rural girl, unworldly but not naive, and 100% ready to slap down any unwanted advances. She's also clever and works hard to get what she wants. When Ferit goes off track, she disguises herself in the sexiest of modern clothing, takes off her headscarf, and does up her hair. It's pretty impressive seeing how well this innocent demure girl fully immerses herself in the part. And it just goes to show, don't mess with Turkish women! They eat bad boys for breakfast, and will put them through hell to fix them up!
The remainder of the characters are good, from Emine's kindly uncle, to the cute local kids, and the sports team. Perhaps my favourite character is Ferit's father. He didn't tell any of his family back home about his marriage (presumably because he's nervous they wouldn't accept a poor country girl), and so they don't realise anything's wrong. But when Emine and co. visit him to ask about Ferit, not only is the father not dismissive of them, he's supportive, and actively helps their battle plan! It's nice seeing this guy , willingly helping take his son down a peg after his bad behaviour.
Where Tatlı Dillim really amuses is in its hokeyness! Credit where credit's due, Ferit does recognise the similarity between the 'two' women at first, but as soon as this is denied/refuted, he's under the impression that Emine and Mine are two completely different people. This culminates in the hilarious ending, where he breaks up with the 'wanton' Mine, then turns his back, and when he turns back around, Emine's put her headscarf back on and suddenly Ferit gasps in amazement "It's YOU??". Of course it is, you muttonhead!
The actors here all do fun jobs. Tarik Akan is your typical heart-throb, doing a good job with both his = advances, and romantic moments. The real MVP though is Filiz Akın. She does a great job as the demure country girl, and is stunningly pretty. She also pulls double duty when pretending to be a sultry city girl, equally good in this portrayal. The rest of the cast are fine, from the amusingly shouty Zeki Alasya, to the = Münir Özkul, and of course the ever-[grouchy] Hulusi Kentmen, bearer of Turkey's greatest moustache.
The score here is effective. There's a good main theme, the nice recurring tune, as well as the accompanying song it gets later in the movie. Nothing's repeated too much, and everything fits the mood, whether it be a calm scene out on the country, or a bombastic nightclub in the city.
Tatlı Dillim is a fun enough rom-com. A little strange in places, but this mostly adds to the charm, and it's well worth checking out for fans of soppy =...
Yalancı Yarim (1973)
👏🏻😍
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