Remake, Remix, Rip-Off: About Copy Culture & Turkish Pop Cinema

Turkey in the 1960s and 70s was one of the biggest producers of film in the world even though its film industry did not have enough written material to start with. In order to keep up with the demand, screenwriters and directors were copying scripts and remaking movies from all over the world. Name any Western hit film, there is a Turkish version to it, be it Tarzan, Dracula, The Wizard of Oz, The Exorcist, Rambo, Superman or Star Trek. These quickly and low budget produced lookalike movies were adapted to the taste of local audiences with huge success in the Anatolian hinterland. What they lacked in equipment and budget they compensated through excessive use of manpower both behind and in front of the camera.