Midnight Express

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The movie differs from Hayes' account in his book. Among the differences is a scene in which Hayes kills the prison guard Hamid "the bear," the main antagonist of the story. In fact, the prison guard was killed in 1973 by a recently released prisoner, whose family Hamid insulted while beating the prisoner, years before Hayes' actual escape. After almost four years in the prison, Billy is informed that his case will be reviewed again. Thinking he's being let go early for good behavior, Billy rushes to meet with Stanley Daniels, the representative from the US ambassador's office in the Turkish capital city of Ankara. However, Daniels has bad news; the High Court in the Turkish capital of Ankara has heard a different argument from the prosecutor who has appealed the four-year term verdict, and is seeking to charge Billy with smuggling hashish and make an example of him. Since double-jeopardy law does not exist in Turkey like it does in the US, any accused can be tried more then once for the same crime on appeal or should new evidence surface. El libro es muy rápido de leer. Es narrado desde la perspectiva del protagonista y nos cuenta cada experiencia dentro de la prisión, a un ritmo muy rápido. Finished this book yesterday and I can say I really liked it. I liked his honesty most of all. Most men especially in that era would not have written how they made love with another man but he did and made it sound soft and beautiful. Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05 . Retrieved 2010-06-06.

Billy Hayes and the Real Midnight Express | Manolith". Archived from the original on 2010-07-03 . Retrieved 2010-10-10.The book is a much more accurate and much more compelling story of the arrest, imprisonment and escape of Billy Hayes in Turkey and imprisoned for smuggling than the 1978 movie. Of course the book is in Hayes' own words and not the twisted fantasies of overzealous filmmakers so that is definitely a big plus. Yes he was selfish at times and very stubborn at others so I am very curious how he is now. How are his parents? Billy θα βρεθεί πίσω από τα κάγκελα της φυλακής θα ανακαλύψει ότι δεν είναι καθόλου εύκολο να καταφέρει να επιβιώσει μέσα σε ένα περιβάλλον που θυμίζει εποχές Μεσαίωνα και ότι θα πρέπει να σκληρύνει τον εαυτό του για να μπορέσει να βγει αλώβητος και σωματικά αλλά και ψυχολογικά από αυτή την κατάσταση. Γιατί ενώ όλοι του λένε ότι ίσως εκτίσει γύρω στους 20 μήνες ποινή ο ίδιος αρχίζει να συνειδητοποιεί εκείνα τα «ψιλά γράμματα» που κανένας δεν συνηθίζει να διαβάζει και ότι τα πράγματα θα είναι πολύ δύσκολα για εκείνον παρόλο που έχει ξεκινήσει άμεσα ένας ανελέητος αγώνας για την απελευθέρωση του. Και τελικά, όσο περνάει ο καιρός, ο Hayes καταλήγει ότι ο μόνος τρόπος για να αναπνεύσει και πάλι τον αέρα της ελευθερίας είναι να δραπετεύσει. Κάτι που φαντάζει εντελώς αδύνατο να γίνει από τις Τουρκικές φυλακές αν δεν καταλήξει στο νεκροτομείο. In 2016, Parker returned to Malta as a special guest during the second edition of the Valletta Film Festival to attend a screening of the film on 4 June at Fort St Elmo, where many of the prison scenes were filmed. [6] See also [ edit ] Jimmy shows Billy and Max blueprints to the prison of catacombs. They believe they can access them through a wall in the kitchen and go underneath or simply climbing over the wall. Max dismisses Jimmy's idea as foolish and Billy does not want to risk trying to escape fearing that if he's caught it will add time to his sentence. An angry Jimmy decides to go ahead with it himself, being caught and badly beaten with a leather strap by Hamidou and sent to the sanitarium.

Roger Ebert gave Midnight Express three stars out of four in a review that concluded, "The movie creates spellbinding terror, all right; my only objection is that it's so eager to have us sympathize with Billy Hayes." [13] Gene Siskel gave the film two and a half stars out of four and called it "a powerful film, but we leave the theater thinking it should have been more so. It was for that reason that I was persuaded to read the book, which is where I found the story I had been expecting to see on the screen." He also thought that Brad Davis "is simply not up to the lead role. He appears unsure of himself and, like the film itself, he overacts." [14] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety wrote, "Acceptance of the film depends a lot on forgetting several things," namely that Hayes was smuggling drugs. Nevertheless, he thought Davis gave "a strong performance" and that "Alan Parker's direction and other credits are also admirable, once you swallow the specious and hypocritical story." [15] Charles Champlin, of the Los Angeles Times, was positive, writing that the film "has a kind of wailing, arid authenticity and enormous power. It is strong and uncompromising stuff, made bearable by its artistry and the saving awareness that Hayes, at least, slipped free and lived to tell the tale." [16] Gary Arnold, of The Washington Post, described the film as "outrageously sensationalistic" and "loaded with show-stopping fabrications," and wrote of the protagonist that "there's never a compelling reason for sympathizing with the callow boy he appears to be from start to finish." [17] Allegations of Turkophobia [ edit ] Americans Abroad: The Jail Scene". Time. April 13, 1970. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010 . Retrieved January 6, 2009. Hayes has now written the sequel books, "Midnight Return (Escaping Midnight Express)" and "The Midnight Express Letters--from a Turkish Prison, 1970-1975", a collection of the original letters written home to family and friends during his imprisonment" Siamo ai livelli di Papillon; anche questo è una storia vera: William Hayes, uno studente americano, cercò di contrabbandare hashish fuori dalla Turchia nel 1970. Condannato a quattro anni e 2 mesi prima e all'ergastolo poi, nel durissimo carcere di Sagmacilar, riuscì a scappare nel 1975 in Grecia per poi fare ritorno a casa. Billy Hayes. Στους τίτλους τέλους παρατήρησα ότι πρόκειται για την αληθινή ιστορία του Hayes και η ταινία βασίστηκε στο αυτοβιογραφικό βιβλίο του το οποίο για κάποιο λόγο δεν είχα διαβάσει μέχρι σήμερα 25 περίπου χρονιά αφού είδα την ταινία.In desperation, Billy accompanies Jimmy and Max to try to escape through the catacombs below the prison. They give up after running into endless dead-ends. A particularly sycophantic prisoner named Rifki, who routinely acts as an informant in exchange for favors, tips off the guards about the escape attempt. Hamidou suspects Jimmy of being responsible for what happened during the first escape attempt. Jimmy is taken away again for punishment and is never seen from then on. Billy's imprisonment becomes harsh and brutal: terrifying scenes of physical and mental torture follow one another, and Billy has a breakdown. He brutally beats Rifki, killing him. He is sent to the prison's ward for the insane, where he wanders about in a daze among the other disturbed prisoners. Max is also sent there too. He is seen running from guards for an unknown infraction and is grabbed by Hamidou and thrown across the place and is severely injured. Festival de Cannes: Midnight Express". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-07 . Retrieved 2009-05-20. BILATERAL AGREEMENT FOR REPATRIATION OF FOREIGN NATIONAL PRISONERS TO COMPLETE SENTENCING IN OWN COUNTRY / 091243Z MAY 75, U.S. State Department, Ankara, May 1975 En la cárcel parecía que todos permanecían a la expectativa de algo. Se esperaba que abrieran la celda y que llegara el pan por la mañana; se esperaba la comida a mediodía; se esperaba que llegara el agua, para poder ir al baño o lavarse; se esperaban las visitas; se esperaba el juicio; se esperaba la libertad..." A made-for-television documentary about the film, I'm Healthy, I'm Alive, and I'm Free (alternative title: The Making of Midnight Express), was released on January 1, 1977. It is seven minutes long, and features commentary from the cast and crew on how they worked together during production, and the effort it took from beginning to completion. It also includes footage from the creation of the film, and Hayes's emotional first visit to the prison set. [7] Differences from the book [ edit ]

Quest'estate ero in Svizzera, gironzolavo tra le bancarelle di Lugano e da lontano ho visto la copertina di questo libro, non sapevo neanche che prima del film ci fu il libro, potevo immaginarlo certamente, ma ci sono delle cose che dai per scontato e basta. Ammetto che ho tenuto da parte questo libro per un po' perchè avevo una paura folle che mi offuscasse uno dei miei film preferiti. Ma come ormai è regola poteva essere il libro inferiore al film? Certo che no, perchè se il film è maraviglioso, il libro è stupendo e ci sono voluti solo due giorni per leggerlo. As the family sat down for dinner, Kate voiced her concerns. Kate knew that the Midnight Express would pass through Moingona station (near her house) and it would not stop there. She knew that it would cross the bridge over Honey Creek bridge. But was the bridge safe enough? Billy Hayes, author of the autobiographical book “ Midnight Express,” on which the film directed by Alan Parker and written by Oliver Stone was based, disagreed with several of the assertions made in Stone’s new book, “Chasing the Light.”

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To be fair, these chapters are well written, as he describes the institution’s dilapidated conditions as far worse than the prison environment. However, this has very little reading impact as he only describes the prison environment in very few paragraphs, and in only one chapter. Hayes has a great deal of time to ponder that irony, during an imprisonment that supplies the bulk of the movie. His years in prison are stunningly well seen by the film's director, Alan Parker -- whose last film was the engagingly odd " Bugsy Malone," in which a cast of children played gangsters. Parker found an old British fortress on Malta to use as his prison, and he populates it with a freemasonry of the world's criminals. There's Randy Quaid, as the totally strungout American; John Hurt, as the pensive British prisoner, absorbed in his drug habit; and Norbert Weisser, as the Swedish kid who becomes Hayes' lover in the year's strangest romantic scene. Siskel, Gene (October 30, 1978). "Book-to-screen trip bumpy for 'Express '". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 2. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for Parker at the 51st Academy Awards in 1979, and won Best Adapted Screenplay for Stone and Best Original Score for Moroder. It also won six Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama and BAFTA Awards for Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for Hurt). Over the next several months, Billy slowly adjusts to prison life. Jimmy gets stabbed in the behind for treating a Turkish prisoner badly during a volleyball game. Another time later, Billy and others witness the prison warden beat four of the young boys on their soles of their feet, believing them to have raped a new young inmate, with the warden's two pudgy sons looking on and him warning them about what happens if they ever break the law.

Hayes was imprisoned at Sağmalcılar prison in Istanbul [4] after having spent one night in Sultanahmet Jail. [5] Following an incident in prison, he was transferred in 1972 to Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital, described as a 'lunatic asylum'. On several occasions, the United States Department of State pressured Turkey to transfer sentencing to the United States; however, Turkish foreign minister Melih Esenbel stated that the US was not in a position to dispute a sentence issued by a Turkish court. [6] He stated privately to officials that a release might be possible on humanitarian grounds, if Hayes' physical or mental health was deteriorating, but in a private consultation, Hayes stated to US diplomats that his experience at Bakırköy was highly traumatic, and he did not have confidence that the hospital would certify him for early release; [6] Hayes also stated that he felt attempts to win early release would jeopardize his prospects of being transferred to a more desirable half-open prison. On May 12, 1975, the Turkish Constitutional Court declared amnesty for all drug offenses, which shortened Hayes' sentence from life to 30 years; he was transferred to İmralı prison on July 11, 1975. Quinn, Karl (March 24, 2015). "Billy Hayes: Convicted drug smuggler tells the true story behind Midnight Express". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved March 22, 2020. Hayes θα αποκαλύψει γύρω στα 2 κιλά μαριχουάνα και θα είναι η αιτία που θα καταλήξει στη φυλακή. Αυτό που δεν γνωρίζει είναι ότι όχι μόνο το εμπόριο αλλά και η κατοχή ναρκωτικών, όπως η μαριχουάνα, είναι ένα σοβαρό έγκλημα για τις Τουρκικές Αρχές και θα νιώσει στο πετσί του ακριβώς πως λειτουργεί η Τουρκική Δικαιοσύνη. Κάτι που πιστέψτε με δεν έχει αλλάξει και πολύ μετά από περίπου 50 χρόνια.There was a film, screenplay by the wonderful Oliver Stone, which brought the descriptions in the book to life and made the escape much more exciting, as films do. Countries, like people, generally like to show the world only their good side and people certainly sometimes feel shame and humiliation when their unknown, other, darker side is exposed. Turkey certainly felt that the book, and to a much greater extent the film, harmed its international reputation. I wonder if it affected the prison system of the country or they were just careful to have some new, modern, model prisons to show journalists, the UN and other concerned organisations when they come calling?