Gecelerin ötesi (1960)'s comments

quote:

One may call "The other side of the nights" the first example of social realism in Turkish cinema. Influenced by American Film Noir, the film tells the story of a group of friends, trying to raise themselves from their poor working class background by robbing a gas station. The film blames unemployment and economic inequality for this. Erksan presents his themes (the despair of the working class, poverty, the dreams of the shanty town dwellers of going to America, love and friendship) passionately with in a fluent narrative. While owing a lot to Film Noir themes like despair and pessimism, "The other side of the nights" presents the toilings or the urban poor, on the brink of ruin, in a realistic way, while not neglecting the local particulars.

"The other side of the nights" is one of Erksan's less well known films. At the time of its release, most popular films were more or less Americanized and Erksan's film's political message didn't please. On top of it, it didn't have any star acting in it, one of Yeşilçam's peculiar casting choices. Kadir Savun, Suphi Kaner, Erol Taş and Hayati Hamzaoğlu, who are all better known as supporting character actors, took on main parts for this film. At the same time, this film is an important example of Erksan's masterful direction.