Yilmaz Güney [1931–1984]

GÜNEY, YILMAZ [b. 1/4/1937, Yenice, Turkey d.9/9/1984, Paris, France]

Turkish film actor, writer, and director. His real name is Yilmaz Putun.

Born the son of a peasant in Siverek, a village near Adana, Yilmaz Güney earned his keep as a boy toting water, caring for horses, and selling simits (pretzels) and soda. He attended law school at Ankara University and returned to Adana, where he got a job with Dar Film. He began scriptwriting and acting in 1958, and moved to Istanbul, becoming a popular star by the mid-1960s. Güney directed his first film in 1966, and went on to become the preeminent filmmaker of the era, with more than a dozen more films. His 1970 film Hope, about the mystical adventures of a poor carriage driver from Adana, was a turning point in Turkish film, marking the beginning of an era of neorealism. His 1982 Yol (The road) shared the Palme d'Or award at Cannes with Costa-Gavras's Missing.

Güney wrote the script for Yol while serving a nineteen-year prison sentence for killing a judge in 1974, over a question of honor. The film was directed by Şerif Gören, but Güney escaped from prison in time to finish editing it in France. The film, about five prisoners on hometown leaves, has never been shown publicly in Turkey [1]. Since his death, numerous books have been written about him, and the scripts for all his important films have been published. His films, short stories, and novels reflect his own outspoken Marxism and his preference for outlawed figures on the fringes of society.

YOLDA RÜZGAR GERI GETIRIRSE (2005) -- [Subject of Film]
YILMAZ GÜNEY - HIS LIFE, HIS FILMS (1987) -- [Subject of Film]; On-screen Participant
Le MUR (1983) -- Director; Assistant Director; Screenplay
AUTOUR DU MUR (1983)
YOL (1982) -- Screenplay and dialogue; Editor; Dubbing director
DÜSMAN (1979) -- Script
SÜRÜ (1978) -- Script
ZAVALLILAR (1975) -- Director; Script
ENDISE (1974) -- Director; Script
ARKADAS (1974) -- Director; Script
AGIT (1972) -- Director; Script
IBRET (1971) -- Script
BABA (1971) -- Director; Script
UMUT (1970) -- Director; Script
SEYYIT HAN (1968) -- Director; Screenplay
AÇ KURTLAR (1967) -- Director

Note by Erju Ackman
[1] Not at the time of this article but 17 years later in 1999

Bibliography

Dorsay, Atilla. "An Overview of Turkish Cinema from Its Origins." In The Transformation of Turkish Culture, edited by Günsel Renda and C. Max Kortepeter. Princeton, NJ: Kingston Press, 1986.

Özgüç, Agâh. "A Chronological History of the Turkish Cinema." Turkish Review (Winter 1989): 53–115.

ELIZABETH THOMPSON
Source Citation: THOMPSON, ELIZABETH. "Güney, Yilmaz [1931–1984]." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Ed. Philip Mattar. Vol. 2. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 955. 4 vols.

Yilmaz Guney's Last Interview


BASUTCU, Mehmet: The Exile & The Refugee
Cinemaya (0970-8782) n.9 , October 1990, p.17-19, English, illus
Discusses the work of both Yilmaz Güney and Tevfik Baser as examples of Turkish filmmakers who work abroad

Cinemaya (0970-8782) n.5 , October 1989, p.48-61, English, illus
Articles discussing the life and work of Yilmaz Guney, and an interview with his wife about him.

AKMAN, Eris: Double perspective
Cinemaya (0970-8782) n.4 , July 1989, p.34-35, English, illus
Discusses censorship in Turkey mentioning the experiences of filmmaker Yilmaz Guney

City Limits (0262-2505) n.276 , 15 January 1987, p.51, English
Notes on a TV documentary on Guney, YILMAZ GUNEY - HIS LIFE, HIS FILMS.

Listener (0024-4392) v.117 n.2994 , 15 January 1987, p.25-26, English
Article on the career of Guney as seen in the Channel 4 season and documentary YILMAZ GUNEY - HIS LIFE, HIS FILMS.

Revue du Cinéma/Image et Son n.399 , November 1984, p.91-92, French
Obituary.

Cinema Sessanta (0392-3428) n.160 , November 1984, p.40-45, Italian
Biographical and career article with filmography.

Technicien du Film (1628-1101) n.329 , 15 October 1984, p.32, French
Obituary.

Cinéma n.310 , October 1984, p.2,9, French
Obituary.

Monthly Film Bulletin (0027-0407) v.51 n.609 , October 1984, p.324, English
Article on Turkish cinema and the work of Yilmaz Guney.

Stills (0263-2608) n.13 , October 1984, p.48-50, English
Interview with Guney shortly before his death, in which he talks of his exile, his period in jail and how this has affected the production of his films and their depiction of life in Turkey.

Cineinforme (1135-3910) n.139 , October 1984, p.8, Spanish
Obituary.

Ciné-Revue v.64 n.38 , 20 September 1984, p.48, French
Obituary.

Télérama n.1810 , 19 September 1984, p.39, French
Obituary with some quotations.

Screen International (0307-4617) n.463 , 15 September 1984, p.21, English
Brief obituary.

Film-Echo/Filmwoche (0015-1149) n.51 , 15 September 1984, p.7, German
Obituary.

City Limits (0262-2505) n.154 , 14 September 1984, p.5, English
Obituary.

Film Francais (0397-8702) n.2002 , 14 September 1984, p.30, French
Obituary and filmography.

City Limits (0262-2505) n.153 , 07 September 1984, p.17, English
Interview with Guney on his films and on the political situation in Turkey.

Retro (0174-3783) n.21 , October 1983, p.43-44, German
Interview with, about his film Le MUR.

Revue du Cinéma/Image et Son n.384 , June 1983, p.16-19, French
Biographical and career article.

Sight and Sound (0037-4806) v.52 n.2 , April 1983, p.88-93, English
Interview with, on his early experiences of film as an actor and scriptwriter and his subsequent films as a director as well as his prison experiences.

Films (0261-8001) v.3 n.3 , February 1983, p.8, English
Guney comments on the making of YOL, and his time in prison.

Time Out (0049-3910) n.647 , 14 January 1983, p.10-12, English
Guney talks about his imprisonment, his acting career, and his work as screenwriter/director, and the experience of making films from prison.

City Limits (0262-2505) n.67 , 14 January 1983, p.11, English
Interview with, on his political beliefs and how these are reflected in his films.

Film Francais (0397-8702) n.1930 , 14 January 1983, p.8, French
Güney talks about his film, which he is presently making in Paris, with French money, le MUR.

Dirigido Por... (0212-7245) n.99 , December 1982, p.16-21, Spanish
Interview with, on YOL.

Jeune Cinéma (0758-4202) n.144 , July 1982, p.11-15, French
Article on his film YOL which he created while in prison and was directed by Serif Goren. Interview with, on the making of the film and the difficulties encountered.

Image et Son/Ecran n.374 , July 1982, p.82-87, French
Article on his work.

Image et Son/Ecran n.374 , July 1982, p.82-87,88-96, French
Article on his work followed by Güney talking about his life and work. Filmography.

Jump Cut (0146-5546) n.27 , July 1982, p.35-37, English
Article on revolutionary cinema in Turkey and the work of Guney.

Positif (0048-4911) n.256 , June 1982, p.34-41, French
Interview with, on his life and work, following his escape from prison in Turkey.

Dirigido Por... (0212-7245) n.94 , June 1982, p.33, Spanish
Interview with, on what forms the basis of his films, censorship in cinema, what attracted him to cinema and working in Turkey.

Revue Belge du Cinéma n.21 , July 1981, p.17-18, French
Biofilmography.

Framework (0306-7661) n.15/17 , July 1981, p.7-8,9-11, English
Interview with, on the effect on his work of censorship and state control, his imprisonment and how he has been able to continue writing scripts for films and the sources and traditions he draws on. Includes biographical article.

Positif (0048-4911) n.243 , June 1981, p.51, French
Most recent details of his imprisonment, a note on his direction of the making of the film SURU from prison, and plans for future work despite his continuing imprisonment.

Jeune Cinéma (0758-4202) n.134 , April 1981, p.18-20, French
Article on the eight films of Güney which were shown at the Berlin Festival in 1981.

BFI News (0308-2822) n.46 , January 1981, p.4, English
Adrian Turner introduces the retrospective of Guney's work at the National Film Theatre.

National Film Theatre Programmes , January 1981, p.10-12, English
Introductory notes to a season of films to be screened at the National Film Theartre.

Cinéma n.262 , October 1980, p.52-57,58-60,61-63, French
Article on his career and life, and present imprisonment in an 'open' Turkish prison. Filmography and interview with in prison in which he talks about the screenplays for his films.

Positif (0048-4911) n.234 , September 1980, p.46-49, French
Interview with Güney conducted in the Turkish prison where he is confined in which he talks about his imprisonment and the concerns of his work in the cinema.

Positif (0048-4911) n.229 , April 1980, p.60, French
Addition and correction to filmography given in February issue, no.227.

Positif (0048-4911) n.227 , February 1980, p.29-35,36-45,46-47, French
Article by Adrian Turner on the work of this director, his imprisonment and political stance, and one film in particular, SURU. Elia Kazan writes about the visit he made made to Gúney in the Turkish prison of Toptashi. Filmography

Cinema Sessanta (0392-3428) n.117 , September 1977, p.44-51, Italian
Report on the Güney retrospective at the 1977 San Remo festival. Interview with critic Atilla Dorsay about the cinema in Turkey, about Güney's imprisonment and about his films. Biofilmography.

Jeune Cinéma (0758-4202) n.89 , September 1975, p.17-20, French
Article on the director and his films.

Film Comment (0015-119X) v.11 n.1 , January 1975, p.4,87, English
Article on his films and the Turkish film business.