I have always believed that the people who guide and inspire people’s imaginations are very important people. Cüneyt Arkın was exactly such a person for the Turkish nation. Thanks to his films, millions of people fought with swords in their hands, seized castles alone, entered the hearts of the valiant beauties of Byzantium, and even brought justice to space.
Fahrettin Cüreklibatur was born in 1937 as the son of a very poor family. Battal Gazi and Köroğlu, one of his father and family who participated in the War of Independence, grew up listening to the epics, and we can say that the nationalist side was established in these very years.
Despite all the absence, he managed to come third in the exam of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. He was also very fond of literature and writing. He even published a magazine called Erek with his friends during his university years. The event that changed his life was winning the new film artist competition of Artist magazine in 1963. It was during this period that journalist Vecdi Benderli combined Cüneyt Gökçer’s Cüneyt and Ramazan Arkın’s Arkın to create the stage name Cüneyt Arkın that we all know. In fact, this transformation from Fahrettin Cüreklibatur to Cüneyt Arkın seems to summarize his transition from doctor to actor. However, his transition from doctor to film artist was not well received by his family or friends.
In the same year, the director Halit Refiğ, whom he met while he was in the military, was very impressed by his physique and charisma and gave a role in his new film Gurbet Kuşları by saying “Oh doctor, there is something great in you”. With his role in this film, his star shone and became the sought-after jonu of Yeşilçam. Türkan Şoray has established a throne in the hearts of young girls with her love films with Fatma Girik, Hülya Koçyiğit and Filiz Akın. However, due to his predisposition to the action scenes in Gurbet Kuşları, Halit Refiğ suggested that he switch to action films, which in my opinion is exactly what makes the biggest difference in his life.
Cüneyt Arkın, who grew up with the dream of reviving Turkish epics, finds this proposal logical. He voluntarily joined the Medrano Circus for 1 year, where he learned horse riding, acrobatics and trickery. 7. Dan Kara Belt owner Karate master Hakkı Koşar and Osman Betin learn to fight by taking karate lessons. Thus, in 1965, he stepped into historical action films with the film Bahadır from Khorasan. However, he realizes his real explosion with Malkoçoğlu 1 year later and the film becomes incredibly successful. When Malkoçoğlu, Battalgazi, Kara Murat, Köroğlu (which in my opinion is one of his most successful films), he is now the embodiment of Turkish epics. After the Byzantine castles, he conquers the hearts of the audience alone.
Yaman is an action star Cüneyt Arkın. While most actors use stunts for even the smallest action sequences, they show up in person even in death-defying scenes. Therefore, the spinal cord, neck, arms, hands, legs did not leave any unbroken bones in his body, and he returned from the dead many times. There has been permanent damage to one hand, for example. You can easily notice that he can’t fully bend his fingers when waving his hand in many of his films. This great respect for his audience and his work has made him a legend of Turkish cinema.
Ultimately, his success spilled overseas. Iranians and Italians in particular show great interest in him, but he did not make good use of this opportunity with the alcohol problems he experienced (and even treated) at that time. After his historical films, he also acted in social criticism films such as Maden and Öğretmen Kemal. As the age progresses, Hollywood tends to turn to films inspired by action and comedy cinema, which unfortunately include very bad films. “In such a hurry and speed, I made films that didn’t really suit me,” he said, adding that he was also aware of the situation. In particular, the film The Man Who Saved the World is so bad that it has risen to the status of a cult film that has gained worldwide fame in this field.
When he passed away on June 28, 2022 as a result of cardiac arrest, he left more than 300 films in his wake. His legacy for Turkish cinema is so great that at any time of the day, while browsing the channels, you may come across a random Cüneyt Arkın film and find yourself watching yourself hypnotized. Cüneyt Arkın was a man who jumped over the city walls, conquered the castles alone, shot 5 arrows at the same time but did not collapse with the arrows he ate, in short, he was a man who did not write his own epics, but drew and played.
Goodbye Malkoçoğlu, Battalgazi, Kara Murat, Köroğlu…
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