Fallow Deer (Ala Geyik) (translated)

Süreyya Duru directed Ala Geyik ("Fallow Deer"), a colour Turkish film made in 1969 and produced jointly by Erman Film and Acar Film. Film listings call it an adventure in some places and a drama in others; it mixes mountains, hunting, love and a struggle over power. The screenplay by Erdoğan Tünaş was compiled from Yaşar Kemal's book Üç Anadolu Efsanesi, and shooting took place in the mountains of Antalya. It runs about 90 minutes.

The hero is Halil, played by Cüneyt Arkın. His great love is his fiancée Zeynep (Mine Mutlu), his great passion hunting deer in the mountains. Neither his mother nor Zeynep can talk him out of it. While Halil is up in the mountains, Karaca Ali (Bilâl İnci), one of the region's ruthless beys, falls for Zeynep at first sight and, pressing the villagers, has her engaged to himself. Days later Halil returns, learns what happened and goes wild; he sets out to face Karaca Ali and win her back. But the passion that still drives him after the fallow deer leads to painful events. Sabahat Işık plays Halil's mother and Aliye Rona plays Sultan Ana.

The producers were Murat Köseoğlu and Hürrem Erman, the music is by Metin Bükey and the cinematographer was Orhan Kapkı.