"The Bats & Ninjas" with Osman BETIN - Chapter One

One collector group for Çetin İnanç CIKO's last application was to find and meet with Mr. Osman Betin.

Osman Betin is one of action figures of Turkish movie history's most psychedelic era which lives at early 80's. He was second famous Karate sprotman after Nihat Yiğit during this era. Well known experience for years about Karate and martial arts he was also interedted with Ninja Training too. We met with him about The Years with The Bats & Ninjas.

For new beginners we must say Osman Betin is bad ninja leader of clan in ÖLÜM SAVAŞÇISI' - a.k.a THE DEATH WARRIOR.

"The bats and ninjas will land the ground tonight.Death Warrior's heart will fear, he'll come .... he'll die!"

Could you mention about your sportman identity?:

"I have interested with Karate in 1972. There was two first comer trainers for Karate in 70s. They were Hakkı Koşar and my trainer Ahmet Doğaner. All of two persons was also Cüneyt Arkın's karate trainers too. With Ahmet Doğaner's training I improved myself and I was a trainer in 1976, I worked with Cuneyt Arkin as a trainer during 80's, I'm interesting with Body Building and Fitness Training at last years."

How is your first begining with movies ?:

"We had a Karate Dojo in European Side of Istanbul in the begining of 80's. One day I got a phone call about to act in Cuneyt Arkin's KELEPÇE(DAYI CEMİL) - TURKISH DIRTY movie. I didnt have an idea about to earn money but I had a brilliant idea so I requested the scenes which I'll act will be shoot in our neighbour.

My first scene in cinema was fighting with Cüneyt Arkın. This scene shooted in our neighbour and when people heard it a lot of people about 80 persons and specially girls came to our saloon to begin Karate Courses. Of course these are funny remembrances, however biggest cause is of course Çetin İnanç to why I loved movie sets"

Çetin İnanç?:

"I cant know second time his kind of person. My career began with his movies and I learnt everything about what wil I do the place where the cam. My Cetin Inanc times has two ages"

First Age:

"My first age is our Izmir City times. For ex İDAMLIK was shooted there.Come on How can I forget it? There was most crowded square of city near of sea and Çetin Inanç said "we will shoot a hit scene here". We dont have any permits from local goverment, mayor ...etc also people in the crowd didnt know that we would shoot a scene.Fighting would begin in real time in the crowd and it would improve in people...

We were walking with Cüneyt Arkın in the crowd, we only described hit angles eachother without any prove than suddenly began to fight! When we began to action, cam was said action too. There was a bridge and we passed it by hitting, chasing, running in the people.

We were faster and enjoying so fight didnt end on the bridge and we run until near of the sea. There were some postcard sellers in front of the seaport. Cüneyt said "lets stop , I'll kick than you fell down and scene be completed.". We made a mistake cause Cuneyt kicked early so I felt down on the postcard gallery instead of down.Chase began again but now sellers were chasing us.

There was another chase scene in İDAMLIK. It was in a train. One of Çetin İnanc's ideas, suddenly he was thought it and shared it with us, we bought 4 tickets and get in train. Of course we didnt let anybody know that we will shoot. Camera, Çetin Inanc, Cüneyt Arkın and me.While we were walking in train Çetin Inanc said "there was a null vagoon" and he wanted to shoot scene there. We made it by improvisate with out prove.When Cuneyt Arkin jumped off from train at the final, I jumped too.. When I landed his face was fully white and he said "I wont jump again even from a bicycle"

However cameraman Salih Dikişçi was so calm and he was only exiciting to see 8mm negatives. I guess they were used to see that kind of happens before too.

There was a small holiday town which calls Foça. This is the other part of our Izmir days. We shooted there two movies with Turkish Bruce Lee Nihat Yiğit and Çetin İnanc's discover Turkish Stallone Serdar . We were specially helping to Serdar for fighting scenes, he was a wonderful sportman but he didnt well experienced at movies. Nihat Yiğit was easilier cause we were knowing eachother better as sportmen that interest with martial arts. So we knew eachother's limitations about what we can do and of course Çetin İnanç was supporting us to feel free ownselves.

We completed main story of ÖLÜM VURUŞU - DEATH STRIKE movie at hotel in one night. Çetin, Nihat and me make an appointment about it, next Cetin wrote dialogues on cigarette boxes and he was also wrote all scenes on his head. Amazing! He was an extraordinary person, this movie was an international movie cause there was full contact sport man Maurizio Martino who comes from Italy, his model lover Angela and Maurizio's sister's husband a Persian sportman"

Second Age:

"After İzmir days I came back to İstanbul and interested with my saloon. Çetin Inanc and his team also came to Istanbul after a while and they were continuining Cüneyt series.

Vahşi Kan was a Turkish Rambo movie, I was leader of motorcycle gangs, gangs were my students and my friends. There was caves and calm peaces out of Istanbul and this movie was shooted there. Vahşi Kan my first longer acting movie.

I was also acting in Çöl it was a weird athmospherred movie, almost all of scenes shooted in a tanker ship and I only acted some fighting scenes there. After this movie we get ready DELİ FİŞEK. I was main character of this movie during its first quarter, I was a psychopatic killer, Çetin fixed up leather jacket, hat, colormatic sun glasses, it seems wonderful but only my gloves, yeah my gloves were woman gloves in fact.

We were shooting final fight in a construction, Çetin wanted more action and adrenaline and he asked "could you jump from second stage in to sand hill?" I recommend "if we use hard card boards it can better", but he said "Cüneyt will also jump after you" and I said "Cool! No needs boards, I'll jump from third stage" by smile.

After I jumped from construciton I was almost be burialed in to sand and Cuneyt jumped from second stage by saying "Dear Osman, I'm getting oldie" "


Next Chapter: Ölüm Savaşçısı and next

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Gökay GELGEÇ - Yojimbooo

Turkish Rambo in America! - Interview with Ed Glaser

KORKUSUZ - U.S.A

We gravely happy to met with a Turkish Fantastic Movies fan who is owner of Dark Maze Studios producer - director Ed Glaser from the other side of the ocean.

He bought releasing rights of Çetin İnanç's 1986 First Blood remake-rip off classic KORKUSUZ. KORKUSUZ - RAMPAGE DVD is almost ready for sale at the end of April. Its mastering works have continued since last year's summer.

First could you mention about your company's history?

"Certainly! I started Dark Maze Studios in 2005 after making a handful of very low-budget short films, mostly horror. My first feature-length movie was a satire of videogames called PRESS START, which I made in 2006 and 2007.

Around the same time, I also started producing and directing a spin-off animated series for the web called PRESS START: BONUS LEVELS, which later became PRESS START ADVENTURES. Both the movie and the cartoons featured a number of videogame guest actors from series like Mortal Kombat, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Castlevania; plus music by videogame composer Jake Kaufman.

In 2008 I produced ad a low-budget sci-fi/action video series for mobile phones called ROBOGIRL, which was sort of a cross between TERMINATOR and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS."

How did you know Turkish Fantastic Flicks?:

"Like many Americans, my first exposure to Turkish Fantastic Cinema was DUNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM, better known over here as "Turkish Star Wars"

I had never seen anything like it before, but I was captivated!

So I did some research and discovered that there was this entire cultural treasure trove of Turkish cinema that I knew nothing about! I've spent the past couple of years striving to correct my ignorance, and I continue to collect, watch, and read about as many of these films as possible."

When did you decide to release Rampage?

"One of my great passions is for overseas remakes and knock-offs of American films, and over the past few years I've accumulated a decent collection of them. In fact, every other Saturday my wife and I screen one with several of our friends.

So, back in October 2007 my friend Jake Kaufman came to visit for the premiere of PRESS START. He brought with him a copy of DUNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM and asked excitedly if I had seen it. I had to tell him that not only had I seen it, but we had just watched the sequel, DUNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM'IN OGLU, only a few days before. Undeterred, he asked if I had seen "Turkish Rambo" I hadn't even heard of it, but once I had, I absolutely had to see it. So I quickly went to youtube and watched the famous rocket launcher sequence from KORKUSUZ and I was hooked!

I wanted to get the complete movie to watch, but no English version existed. And after searching in vain for several months, I had a crazy idea: "I have the resources, so why don't I release an English version of KORKUSUZ myself?"

So I talked to Bill Barounis of Onar Films and he got me in touch with a producer in Turkey. I bought the rights to the film, and with the kind help of my friends and colleagues I was able to put together the first English version ever made."

Which themes effect you on Turkish Fantastic Movies, sounds? stars? director? or any other thing?

"Turkish remakes in general are a big one. There's something fascinating about watching a film that's both familiar and different at the same time seeing Serdar instead of Stallone, Cuneyt Arkin instead of Clint Eastwood, or even Cappadocia instead of a Hollywood set.

Moreover, because these films are rarely exact scene-for-scene remakes, I never know where they'll take me or what direction they'll go.But the thing about Turkish Fantastic Films that has the biggest effect on me is their raw energy. They may not have had big budgets, but they had so much enthusiasm! The pace is always fast, and the action is always very powerful and kinetic. That's sadly not the case with a lot of low budget action movies from other parts of the world, especially America.

Often they're very slow and dull, and the fights are weak if they even have any. But Turkey knew how to do it right!"

Have you any favourite director / artist / genre on Turkish cinema?

"My favorite Turkish director is definitely Cetin Inanc. He's never been afraid to make a movie beyond his means; even with very little money and under difficult conditions he wouldn't shy away from sci-fi, fantasy, or epic action. As a filmmaker I find that very inspiring."

Will you have new projects after Rampage or is there any next release plan after it?

"I'm continuing to produce and direct the PRESS START ADVENTURES cartoons and I have another feature-length project in the works, but it's a secret for now.

I would absolutely love to release another Turkish film, but it all depends on how well RAMPAGE sells. So for anyone reading this: if you buy it and enjoy it, please tell your friends!"

Also, I encourage anyone who's interested to check out the Dark Maze Studios website at www.darkmaze.com

Korkusuz - Rampage DVD Trailer:

CIKO - Cetin Inanc Collectors fan page: www.myspace.com/cetininanc

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Sinematik Team