Once a Year

The screen history of this story is more interesting than the film itself. İhsan Koza's work of the same name, published in 1946, was adapted three times: in 1946, 1965 and 1971. Ferdi Tayfur directed the first version, and Koza is credited as screenwriter, but the script was actually written by Nâzım Hikmet, whose name could not appear because he was imprisoned and banned at the time. Ertem Eğilmez made the other two. Selda Alkor played Nazlı in 1965, Hülya Koçyiğit in 1971, with Kartal Tibet as Emin in both. Eğilmez effectively shot the same melodrama twice, six years apart, with the same leading man. The story concerns two lovers in occupied territory who can meet only one day a year. Emin is an orphaned steward raised on Hilmi Efendi's farm; Nazlı is the daughter of the house. Münir Özkul and Kadir Savun round out the cast. Who it is for: viewers who want to see Eğilmez before Hababam Sınıfı, while he was still a melodrama director. Who it is not for: anyone wanting restraint. The film applies every rule of Yeşilçam melodrama, class divide and chain of misfortune included.