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The Sulky Flower (Küskün Çiçek)

The Sulky Flower (Küskün Çiçek) (translated)

Movie · 1980 · 6 people

The Turkish romantic drama Küskün Çiçek dates from 1979. Cüneyt Arkın directed it and produced it with Hürrem Erman, and Safa Önal wrote the screenplay. Shot in colour on 35 mm, it runs about 76 minutes. Malkoç Film and Erman Film made it. Cüneyt Arkın and Türkân Şoray share the leads.

The story begins when İskender Bey, an industrialist and banker on holiday in Çeşme, dies in a boat accident. His insurance company suspects the death may be murder and sends the inspector Ahmet to look into it. Ahmet has a heart condition; his doctor has told him he has one month left unless a miracle happens, and he feels death drawing nearer every day. Meeting Zeynep, a doctor much loved by the people of Çeşme, changes his outlook on life. Even so, her love will not be enough to keep him alive. Love, anger and regret run through it.

Cüneyt Arkın plays Ahmet and Türkân Şoray plays Zeynep. The cast also includes Hüseyin Peyda as the fisherman Musa, Sümer Tilmaç as Fuat, Yusuf Çetin as the dynamiter and Adnan Mersinli as the diver. The music is by Arif Sağ and the cinematography by Orhan Kapkı. As was usual then, Cüneyt Arkın was voiced by Abdurrahman Palay and Türkân Şoray by Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm.

DirectorCüneyt Arkın
Production companyMalkoç Film, Erman Film

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Cast

Türkân Şoray Türkân Şoray Actor · 81 years old Zeynep Cüneyt Arkın Cüneyt Arkın Actor · died at 84 Inspector Ahmet Hüseyin Peyda Actor · died at 71 Fisherman Musa Ünal Gürel Actor · 1935 – 2002 Sümer Tilmaç Sümer Tilmaç Actor · died at 66 Datçalı Fuat Jeyan Mahfi Ayral Tözüm Jeyan Mahfi Ayral Tözüm Actor · died at 95

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Through different eyes

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

Seeing Türkân Şoray and Cüneyt Arkın in the same frame is a celebration in itself. Safa Önal's story casts the shadow of death over the calm of Çeşme: an inspector whose days are numbered and a doctor beloved by the townspeople. Arif Sağ's music has a sincerity that suits the wistful love stories of those years. Love, anger and regret are woven together, exactly the kind of emotional charge Yeşilçam knew best. Hearing the familiar voices of Abdurrahman Palay and Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm is a nostalgia all of its own.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

With Cüneyt Arkın behind the camera, this romantic drama is an interesting hybrid in structure: it opens as an insurance investigation and evolves into the love story of a man drawing close to death. Yet at around 76 minutes it doesn't seem long enough to feed both strands properly. The detective-style intrigue risks fading behind the weight of the melodrama, and the heart condition with one month left to live is one of the genre's most familiar devices. On the plus side, Çeşme gives Orhan Kapkı's cinematography a natural grounding for the film's atmosphere. The gravity Şoray brings to the screen is what best offsets the script's predictable moves. A brave directing effort from Arkın, but one that rarely strays from formula.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

A good pick for grandparents who love Türkân Şoray and Cüneyt Arkın. The story centres on love and illness; there is an investigation into a death, but the weight of the film lies in its emotions. It is quite a sad film, though, and the idea of death is felt from start to finish. Young children may get bored or upset. For teenagers and adults, it makes an emotional evening film. Keep the tissues handy.

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

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