The Deathless Devil and Tarkan Versus the Vikings
Directors: Yilmaz Atadeniz and Mehmet Aslan
Mondo Macabro
R1 DVD
Mondo Macabro really is at the edge of wild world cinema, when it
comes to Vampire films from
Located between Asian and Europe Turkey brings together influences from
two cultures so when it comes to Turkish cinema, the mixture of all these
elements creates the strangest amalgam you can ever dream of.
The Deathless Devil (1972) is a prime example, it mixes a super hero
tale of the battle between good and evil (Dr. Satan, no less) with every genre
of action you can imagine and even some Sci Fi thrown in for good measure. The film begins as secret agent Tekin
is told by his military superior (Yilmaz), who he
also believed to be his father, that he was actually adopted and that in
reality he is the son of the late superhero Copperhead. Copperhead eschewed
guns and fought with his hands and feet, he died bravely fighting against the
great arch nemesis Dr. Satan. Tekin is then handed Copperheads mask and snake insignia.
Yilmaz and his secretary are attacked and
killed by a programmed assassin sent by Dr. Death. As he is interrogated they
find a device on his chest which is controlled by Dr.Satan
and he is killed before he can reveal too much.
Tekin decides he will now avenge his adopted
father’s death and becomes Copperhead. He takes on his mission with the
assistance of Bitik, an extremely irritating comedic
character, who plays a slapstick version of Sherlock Holmes throughout the
whole film.
This is a low budget, B grade
spectacular. The characters are stereotypes with a hooded superhero who is like
a Batman copy to Dr.Satan who rivals Fu Manchu in
nastiness with a constant diabolical laugh and a must-see moustache. There are
lots of stunts, fist fights, a robot, sex scenes and more.
This is must see entertainment, it is
only matched by the second film in this superb package, Tarkan
Versus the Vikings !!
Tarkan is a Turkish folk hero made popular through a
series of comic books that portrayed him as a hero of Conan-like proportions. Tarkan is much like a Hercules film transplanted into the
cultural nexus of
Princess Yonca rides into an fort with her protector, Tarkan, accompanied by his two warrior wolves (which look
more like dogs to me !) The fort is soon invaded by
Viking warlord Toro, who has joined forces with Lotus, a Chinese Dragon Lady,
to take control of the region. Toro looks like some sort of Nordic male model
and dear Lotus fulfills every stereotype about Asian dominatrix types. The
battle is over the top with even babies axed to death. In the rampage Tarkan’s beloved dog Kurt is speared and dies. After a
moving scene where Tarkan’s speaks of his love for
his dog in rather human terms, he vows to avenge his murder.
This is a
classic sword and sorcery tale, lots of violence, nudity and revenge. The giant
monster octopus is used way too much and after the second time, it gets a bit much ! However it is all good fun and a real discovery.
Both films have
seen better days, Mondo Macabro places a disclaimer on both advising
of the imperfect presentation. But hey, these are rare Turkish 1970’s B grade
films and we get far better than we would expect. The picture is damn good for
the rarity and age and the soundtrack is far clearer than I would have thought
possible.
What is really nice is the extra documentary on Turkish Pop Cinema.
Once again Mondo Macabro offers us
the context of these wonderful films, with lots of interviews, posters, clips
and history.
Awesome !