"The oddest and most insane piece of filmmaking that I’ve ever laid eyes on."
- Bleeding Skull
Perhaps the most improbable DVD release of the year, 3 DEV ADAM is also the most fun, the most weird and aparantly, the most underseen among cult fans. As detailed yesterday Onar Films has had trouble selling copies of this little masterpiece, which is just a crime. So, gathered here for the first time, is every review I could find online for 3 DEV. If these written testimonials (as well as the above trailer) don't convince you that you NEED to buy this disc, then, well let's just say you're probably no fun at parties and more than likely just like to stay home playing checkers and watching reruns of FULL HOUSE. But true Cult Film Fans will find a treasure of bizarre, no-budget action, sadism and sexiness that you will find hard to resist and easy to revisit time and time again.
We'll start, humbly enough, with our own review posted originally about three weeks ago.
Secondly, we're proud to present a guest review from our friend The Undead Film Critic! Here it is in it's complete glory!
3 Dev Adam (1973)
I remember when I first read Pete Tombs fascinating book Mondo Macabro. I made a mental list of movies mentioned that I HAD to see. 3 Dev Adam was at the top of that list.
I was an avid film fan and I knew a thing or two about foreign cinema, but I was about to be schooled. As I read about Turkey and their blatant disregard for copyright laws and fascination with America pop culture, I wanted to see it for myself. I was in disbelief that a movie even existed where Captain America & Santo would battle Spider-Man. I had to see it.
All that was currently available were bootleg VHS copies, of a copy, of a copy. Poor quality and in my opinion hardly worth the dough. I just couldn't bring myself to fork over $20 buck plus shipping and handling for a VHS copy, I knew would be washed out and edited beyond recognition. It just wouldn't be the same movie I had read about and so anxiously wanted to see.
Well, we should all thank the cinema gods. Thanks to ONAR FILMS, you can now own 3 Dev Adam in what I am sure has to be the best presentation since it played Istanbul.
If the idea of Captain America and El Santo throwing down with Spider-Man is not enough to peak your interest, just watch the first 5 minutes and you will undoubtedly get hooked. Spider (man), who has eyebrows like Tammy Faye Baker, and his gang have buried a woman up to her neck in sand on the beach. What did she do? Did she make fun of Spiders beer gut? Did she steal his mascara? What ever she did, it must have pissed Spidey off good, because he & his henchmen plow a roaring motorboat blade into her face. This all happens before the opening credits roll!
El Santo and Captain America are called in to help capture Spider and his men, as Spider has been breaking into peoples houses and apartments. He is stealing priceless knickknacks and other things that look like the kind of crap my grandmother has displayed in her living room for no good reason. I hope it's worth something because it smells like mothballs grandma.
Anyway, I really like the way Captain America is played as a smooth son of a bitch. There was one scene where Cap and Santo are enjoying a drink at a burlesque show, they are in plain clothes mind you, and some bodyguard types approach the Captain. One of the men taps him on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow and Cap just looks up at him like "I'm trying to finish my drink and see some boobies, do you mind?"
And I love how the filmmakers clue us in to who El Santo is, by having him wear what looks like a Navaho Jacket with an eagle on the back. Just in case you weren't sure if he was Mexican or just tan. And El Santo must be hard up for cash, because he steals money from every person he beats up. He's like Robin Hood, but with better tights.
If sounds like I'm making fun, it's only because the film itself is so much fun. It is by far one of the craziest damn things I have ever seen & worth every minute. What I found most fascinating was seeing another culture's take on American & Mexican icons and how they twist them to suit their own regional taste.
ONAR FILMS has gone above and beyond to bring 3 Dev Adam to DVD. Presented in the best possible picture quality that has ever previously been available, this is a must buy. Featuring interviews, a photo gallery & filmographies, if your DVD player will support the PAL region 0 format, you owe it to yourself to seek this title out. But don't drag your feet. There are only 1,200 out there. I myself, am the proud owner of ..138. I'm a sucker for limited editions.
Now that I have seen 3 Dev Adam, I must check out ONAR FILMS other titles and pray for the day that Turkish Exorcist or, dare I say, Turkish Star Wars reach american soil.
6 FEET DEEP
Fantastic! And now, just follow the links below for more outstanding reviews! You'll notice that it's pretty unanimous, Onar's DVD of 3 DEV ADAM is one for the ages!
Twitch!
10K Bullets!
Mondo Digital!
Poptique!
Unbelievable that it hasn't gotten more press than this, but that seem to be the very problem, not enough people are buying this DVD,not enough people are seeing this film, NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE CARE AS MUCH AS WE DO!!!
Hopefully we can change that a little here this week.
I leave you with some more quotes from Bill made during the production of the DVD. This is what he goes through to bring you the pure joy that is Turkish Pop Cinema. I think we all owe him a present come Xmas.
"Whatever can go wrong, WILL go wrong", says one of Murphy's laws. I always thought I was a jinx and bad luck was not only after me but also after the people I like and love. To start with, this project looked cursed from the beginning. In December, I had a great friend in Istanbul who was helping me find producers, movies, materials, connections, etc. You must know that no producer there speaks english. Suddenly, my friend disappeared. And after 3 months I found out he was attacked and injured by some criminals and was hiding away from Istanbul!
Now, I found a turkish guy who would do the subtitling for the movie and the 3 interviews. He already sent me the movie subs and they were EXCELLENT! And he was about to do the interviews which were supposed to be ready over a week ago. But ALAS! He has disappeared too! For the last 10 days he doesn't reply to my e-mails and his phone is out of service. And he wasn't even paid for the movie subs. I fear that he may be dead or something, maybe a coma in the best case. Now, unless he miraculously pops up with some good news and a simple explanation, I will have to search for another subtitler. And this would mean at least 2 more weeks delay. So, let's forget April 10th. Late April looks more likely under these circumstances. SORRY!! Oh, in a couple of days the cover will be ready and it will be up here for you to check.
I forgot to add what happened to my very first turkish connection last year. He got divorced all of a sudden and, obviously, quit helping me! Now, some MORE BAD NEWS! The guy who was going to do the subs and disappeared for 12 days rang me up today! He said he had a terrible accident. He took a dive with the lift he was in, from the 4th floor, and was in hospital in critical condition for over a week! Now, am I a bloody jinx or these movies are cursed? Whatever it is I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! WHAT DOESN''T DESTROY ME MAKES ME STRONGER!
Now, the DVD had to stay behind once more. Oh, did I tell you that the assistant of the guy who's building the menus and etc broke his leg, and now he has to do two people's work and finally let my DVD move even slower? So, the new estimation says that the BLOODY DVD will be ready round May 5th. Next week I believe I'll take the master to the factory and then I will have a very precise release date.
Whew! And you thought your life was tough.
NEXT: Our brand new review of Onar's previous two releases KILINK IN INSTANBUL and KILINK VS SUPERMAN/KILINK STRIP AND KILL!!!
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2 comments:
I did the review for 10kBullets and 3 Dev Adam is well worth picking up. Highly recommended!
Although I avoid participating in chats and forums and blogs etc this time I feel I MUST add this small comment.
First, I really don't know how to thank this blogger here, Jared, perhaps the most dedicated and passionate friend of my releases! I have thought of quitting everything, many times...but just because of Jared and a few other friends here and there I will try to persist till the day I end up sleeping in the streets in some big tv carton box.
I see many people asking about my future releases, so here's my plan:
September: A double-bill with 2 70's horror films: ASKA SUSAYANLAR SEKS VE CINAYET( THIRSTY FOR LOVE SEX AND MURDER) & OLULER KONUSMAZ KI( THE DEAD DON'T TALK). You can see their trailers on the 3 Dev Adam disc. The first one is an imaginative and innovative ripoff of a few italian giallos, with lots of blood and nudity. It was released on vhs in Greece 20 years ago but was presented as a... drama/romance film! Thank God I'm aware of these tricks and I regularly check tons of turkish films in search of good surprises like this one.
The other one is a gothic horror with a haunted house, a zombie-like guy and many other things. I have only seen it without subs so I'm not really sure what's going on. I bet there is some exorcism too! I'm really proud of this film as it was admittedly never seen anywhere before. No vcd, no vhs, no tv, nothing. It kind of fell from the sky. So, due to non-existent prior use, my print was found in very good condition and the picture and sound quality will be the best you've ever seen in all my releases.
I really hope it will be out in September.
Right after this, probably in October, another double-bill:
SUPERMEN DONUYOR( SUPERMAN RETURNS(REALLY!), TURKISH SUPERMAN) & DEMIR YUMRUK DEVLER GELIYOR( IRON FIST THE GIANTS ARE COMING).
You can see trailers for both on the 3 Dev Adam disc. My dream was to release it worldwide the same day that the Hollywood Superman Returns opened! But my turkish friends who are trying to get some interviews for me and the subs had better things to do and I missed this opportunity. I'd like to add a slogan on the cover like "THIS SUPERMAN RETURNED LOOONG TIME AGO!".
Demir Yumruk is an extremely obscure superhero film featuring a Superman guy too. It's a really crazy film with one of the weirdest villains I've ever seen. A guy with a woman's wig, dressed like an old woman and speaking like a lady, sitting on a wheelchair with some uncanny abilities etc. Also, some wild villains are there to support him. I still have no subs for this either but I think one of the villains must be called Fu Manchu or something... Let's see..
Later on, maybe at Christmans, another double-bill:
TARZAN ISTANBUL'DA & TARZAN KORKUSUZ ADAM. The first one is from the early 50's and the other early 70's.
I felt I HAD to let a bunch of people see 2 versions of Tarzan a-la-Turca.
I bow to the Turks because 55 years ago they dared produce their own Tarzan, lacking everything...and above all budget. They always proved they were great and true lovers of cult films. It wasn't enough for them to just go to the cinema and see them. They NEEDED to make their own versions on them.
I shared the same mentality. It wasn't enough for me to watch a bunch of awful bootlegs. Let alone the other titles that I knew I could never find even on bootlegs. So, I decided to do it my way. Set up my own cheap little company and go ahead. I know I will never be compared with other major companies. But for me, it is an honour and a vast pleasure to know that I release films that NOONE ELSE WANTS TO RELEASE!
If I find a lost film I will release it no matter if half of it is missing and no matter if the picture looks like shit.I want to believe that there will still be a few romantic people who will still love to see what was left from a lost treasure.
Well, early next year another double-bill with 2 more superhero films:
CASUS KIRAN & DEMIR PENCE KORSAN ADAM.
And then more superhero like MASKELI SEYTAN, maybe ORUMCEK, and some ZORRO films too. I've also secured the oldest historical turkish film, from the early 50's, KIZIL TUG GENGHINS HAN.
Many people ask about TURKISH STAR WARS. Sadly, I'm really hesitant on this one. The world and the internet stinks with bootlegs of it. Some bootleggers have also added english subs too. I don't think there's still buyers left who will supprot my release.
As for TURKISH EXORCIST(SEYTAN) the same problem. Plus, so far it's impossible to strike a deal with its producers. But I will sure do my best for it.
Among my plans for next year are a couple of double-bills with Cuneyt Arkin films. Stuff like DEATH WARRIOR etc.
And to cut a long story short here is my promise. AS LONG AS I GET MY MONEY BACK I WILL RELEASE ALL TURKISH FILMS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SUPERHEROES, HEROES, HORROR, CULT, TRASH AND YOU KNOW WHAT...!
But if my sales keep on sucking I will soon be forced to quit this story and return to my former fan status, searching for bootlegs from bootleggers.
Another crazy thought is this: Instead of 1200 pieces, I will issue only 300-400. I will sell them only through my web site, leaving all merchants out. Thus I will secure an affordable price on them, like 25 euro and the few real fans will be able to get what they want. You must know that merchants buy at 50% off from me so, if I sell my 300-400 pcs alone, I will be able to offer them at 25 eur each.
My first, crazier, thought was to release only 100 pcs per title! I would sell them alone, at 70-80 eur to the craziest fans and that would be all. The others would have to make do with bootlegs.
Finally, before the end of the month I will try to put up trailers for more future releases. You will be able to check them at my site, motiontv, myspace, yutube etc.
Thanks for standing by me!
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