Dizi Planet
The Epic of Battal Gazi (Battal Gazi Destanı)

The Epic of Battal Gazi (Battal Gazi Destanı) (translated)

Movie · 1971 · 12 people

The first of four Battal Gazi films and one of Cüneyt Arkın's many historical pictures, Battal Gazi Destanı (Battal Ghazi Legend) was directed by Atıf Yılmaz in 1971 as a Turkish adventure and action film set in history. Özdemir Arıtan's novel of the same name is its source, and its subject is the life of Battal Gazi, Malatya's legendary Serdar.

The story follows a young Turkmen warrior who swears to avenge his father. Cafer, son of Hüseyin Gazi, the Serdar of Malatya, sets out after his father is killed in an ambush laid by Byzantine commanders. On the road he meets Hammer, a Byzantine warrior and an old friend of his father's, and the two become companions. Setting out for Byzantium to take their revenge, the pair meet obstacle after obstacle on the way. Cüneyt Arkın plays the lead, credited as Hüseyin Gazi and Battal Gazi. Fikret Hakan plays Hammer, credited as Ahmet Turani; Melek Görgün is İrene and Kerim Afşar is Kahpe Leon. Meral Zeren, Celal Yonat, Reha Yurdakul, Erden Alkan and Ali Taygun also appear.

Ayşe Şasa and Atıf Yılmaz wrote the screenplay, and Çetin Tunca was the director of photography. Uğur Film made it, with Memduh Ün as producer. Shot in colour on 35 mm, the film runs about 95 minutes.

DirectorAtıf Yılmaz
Production companyUğur Film

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Cüneyt Arkın Cüneyt Arkın Actor · died at 84 Battal Gazi/Hüseyin Gazi Fikret Hakan Fikret Hakan Actor · died at 83 Meral Zeren Meral Zeren Actor · 70 years old Elenora Celal Yonat Celal Yonat Actor · 1922 – 1993 Tellal Melek Görgün Actor · 77 years old Irene Ünal Gürel Actor · 1935 – 2002 Süheyl Eğriboz Süheyl Eğriboz Actor · died at 86 Byzantine Soldier Erden Alkan Erden Alkan Actor · 85 years old Öküzbaş Alyon Mümtaz Ener Mümtaz Ener Actor · died at 81 Kerim Afşar Kerim Afşar Actor · died at 73 Kahpe Leon Cüneyt Türel Cüneyt Türel Actor · died at 69 Agah Hün Actor · died at 72

Also in the cast: Hüseyin Gazi, Reha Yurdakul, Ali Taygun, Atıf Kaptan

Titles sharing this cast

More from this director

Through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

This one is a straight revenge run: a young warrior whose father died in an ambush heads for Byzantium and hits obstacle after obstacle. Cüneyt Arkın plays both father and son, and his pairing with Fikret Hakan works well. The story is simple, but the pace never sags and the 95 minutes fly by. If you expect modern fast cutting it may feel old-fashioned, but as the first of a four-film series it is a solid start.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

For anyone devoted to Cüneyt Arkın's historical films, Battal Gazi Destanı is one of the most endearing doors into that tradition. Working from Özdemir Arıtan's novel, Atıf Yılmaz weaves a plain revenge tale together with a warm story of friendship; the companionship Cafer forms with Hammer, his father's old friend, is the heart of the film. Fikret Hakan is especially fine in the part. The colour images carry the exuberance of those years. It is the kind of adventure we miss today, where heroism is told with a moral measure.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Battal Ghazi lives more in folk storytelling than in history books, and the film treats him that way, as an epic hero. The Malatya command, Turkmen warriors and the Byzantine frontier become the backdrop for the heroic images 1971 cinema offered its audience. What is interesting is that there is a friend even on the enemy side: the Byzantine Hammer's companionship means the two worlds are not simply set against each other. Still, it would be a mistake to expect historical accuracy; what drives the film is not period detail but the fervour of the legend and its audience's longing for a hero.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments