It was voted best Dutch movie of the 20th century and had 3.3 million people seeing it in theatres.
A success similar to the 1969 book with the same title.

Both this Dutch movie and its bestselling novel went international under the name “Turkish Delight”.
A direct translation of the Dutch title.

My guess is the subtitled version of the movie Turkish Delight did not gain a lot of traction until the 80s, when VHS made distribution more accessible.

This coincided with Turkish Delight’s director Paul Verhoeven as well as lead actor Rutger Hauer, now having Hollywood careers.
The film was studied by people who were looking into either one.

But what was it about Turkish Delight that had made it so compelling to begin with?

The novel was written by the Netherlands’ iconic writer, Jan Wolkers.
As opposed to his contemporaries, Jan wasn’t just a flamboyant writer but also an artist who drew and sculpted women.
This gave him a colorful life to write about, and he pulls you straight into his bed, writing this book in the first person.

The opening page describes him touching himself while looking at a photo of his ex-girlfriend. He is angry she left him for a traveling salesman.
After weeks of self-pity he gets his act together, takes a shower, dresses up and embarks on a string of sexual escapades.
Sometimes three women in a day.

What is not said in the book, but I remember it from the movie, is how bohemian and artistic the space is.

A ground floor studio in Amsterdam. It’s a workshop and living space in one.

Everything is drenched in sunlight;
The messy bed, white walls, paintings, drawings, sculptures, work in progress everywhere.

Is an artist’s life their truest art?

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~Suzanne Beenackers
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