Dizi Planet
Kara Murat vs. Sheikh Gaffar (Kara Murat Şeyh Gaffar'a Karşı)

Kara Murat vs. Sheikh Gaffar (Kara Murat Şeyh Gaffar'a Karşı) (translated)

Movie · 1977 · 12 people

Kara Murat Şeyh Gaffar'a Karşı (Kara Murat vs. Sheikh Gaffar) is a Turkish-Italian entry in the film series built around Kara Murat, a comic-strip hero created by journalist and cartoonist Rahmi Turan; it mixes adventure, kung fu and historical battle. Kara Murat is a Janissary spy in the service of Mehmed the Conqueror, and Cüneyt Arkın played him in every film of the series. The film opened in Turkey on 1 February 1977 and in Italy on 27 January 1978, where it is known as Karamurat, la belva dell'Anatolia.

After taking Istanbul, the young Mehmed turns to Muşar Castle. Its lord, Sheikh Gaffar, throws the envoys sent to collect tribute into a dungeon. When a siege fails, Mehmed summons Kara Murat and asks him to slip into the castle, free the envoys and solve the secret of Gaffar's resistance. Once Kara Murat sets out, Gaffar's men take Kara Murat's brother hostage, and Kara Murat enters the castle hidden among corpses. Cüneyt Arkın plays Kara Murat and Daniela Giordano plays Zeynep Sultan, with Serçin Erdem, Turgut Özatay and Atilla Ergün also in the cast.

Natuk Baytan and Ernst Hofbauer directed, from a screenplay by Erdoğan Tünaş and Fuat Özlüer. Erler Film produced it, with music by Piero Piccioni and cinematography by Çetin Gürtop.

DirectorNatuk Baytan, Ernst Hofbauer
Production companyErler Film

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Atilla Ergün Actor · died at 59 Hurşit Cüneyt Arkın Cüneyt Arkın Actor · died at 84 Kara Murat Daniela Giordano Daniela Giordano Actor · died at 75 Zeynep Sultan Kadir Savun Actor · died at 69 Osmanlı elçisi Necla Fide Necla Fide Actor · 68 years old Gülseher Turgut Özatay Turgut Özatay Actor · died at 74 Yadigar Ejder Actor · died at 43 Yıldırım Gencer Actor · died at 68 Süheyl Eğriboz Süheyl Eğriboz Actor · died at 86 Yavuz Selekman Yavuz Selekman Actor · died at 67 Turhan Bey Mümtaz Ener Mümtaz Ener Actor · died at 81 Osmanlı sadrazamı Hüseyin Alp Actor · died at 47

Also in the cast: Serçin Erdem

Titles sharing this cast

More from this director

Through different eyes

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

The Kara Murat films are among the emblems of the years when Cüneyt Arkın became a hero to a whole generation. Rahmi Turan's comic-book hero is tasked this time, as the Conqueror's janissary spy, with slipping into the fortress of Muşar and rescuing the envoys. Ideas like him infiltrating the fortress by mingling with the dead carry the innocent adventure spirit of those years. The Italian composer Piero Piccioni's score gives the film a different colour too. But the kung fu elements have always felt a little foreign to me; they look bolted onto a historical adventure. A charming period piece that recalls the spirit of the matinee.

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

A janissary spy, a besieged fortress, envoys in a dungeon and kung fu on top: a real adventure cocktail. Kara Murat sneaking into the fortress among the dead is a brilliant idea. It runs 85 minutes and the pace hardly lets up. The fights may look naive today, and technically it stays within the limits of its era. But Cüneyt Arkın's energy carries the whole thing; this is one to put on just to have fun.

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

The film uses as its backdrop the era of the young Mehmed II, who kept expanding his borders after taking Istanbul, but the storytelling follows comic-book logic more than history, and it is best watched with that in mind. The Kara Murat series is an interesting example of how the Ottoman past was rebuilt as a heroic narrative in the popular culture of the 1970s. Its status as a Turkish-Italian co-production and its use of kung fu also reflect how the cinema of the time engaged with international genres. It is valuable not for historical accuracy but as a record of a period's imagination.

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