The Three Superboys in the Snow

A Turkish comedy from the Yeşilçam era. Cafer is a cashier. A crowded family, an unhappy marriage and a narrow salary; one day he takes the money from the till. He is caught and goes to prison. The money is nowhere. Three men with records hear about it. Pire Mehmet, Fırıldak Ömer and Cin Ali get themselves put inside to learn where the money is, and arrange to land near Cafer. They work their way to him. Then they make a plan and escape together, taking Cafer with them. From there the film becomes a comedy of mistrust. None of the three wants to share; each abducts Cafer without the others knowing, and each time they run into one another again. There is a fourth party as well: another boss named Beşir is after the same money. The one card Cafer holds is the address. He decides who to tell what, and what he tells them does not add up. The narrative works with the habits of its period: disguises, chases and dialogue open to improvisation. Öztürk Serengil plays Cafer and Tarık Akan plays Fırıldak Ömer. The actor playing Pire Mehmet is Italian; Alberto Dell'Acqua worked under the name Robert Widmark at the time. Reza Beyk Imanverdi plays Cin Ali. Natuk Baytan directed. The screenplay is by Fuat Özlüer and Erdoğan Tünaş; the same team made other films with the same shape in those years. Who it is for: anyone who likes Turkish comedy of the 1970s and crowded confidence-trick stories. Who it is not for: anyone measuring by today's standards; part of the humour belongs to its period and there is almost no room for women.