Midnight Express (1978)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Billy Hayes (book) and
William Hoffer (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 October 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A story of triumph.

Plot:

Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Prison | Turkey | Bastinado | Life Imprisonment

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Brad Davis	...	Billy Hayes
Irene Miracle	...	Susan
Bo Hopkins	...	Tex
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Rifki
Paul L. Smith	...	Hamidou (as Paul Smith)
Randy Quaid	...	Jimmy Booth
Norbert Weisser	...	Erich
John Hurt	...	Max
Mike Kellin	...	Mr. Hayes
Franco Diogene	...	Yesil
Michael Ensign	...	Stanley Daniels
Gigi Ballista	...	Chief Judge
Kevork Malikyan	...	Prosecutor
Peter Jeffrey	...	Ahmet
Joe Zammit Cordina
Yashaw Adem		(as Yashar Adem)
Raad Rawi
Tony Boyd	...	Aslan
Zannino		(as Zanninos Zanninou)
Mihalis Giannatos	...	Translator (as Michael Yannatos)
Vic Tablian
Ahmed El Shenawi	...	Negdir
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alan Parker	...	Long haired man at airport (uncredited)

Directed by
Alan Parker

Writing credits
Billy Hayes		(book) (as William Hayes) and
William Hoffer		(book)
Oliver Stone		(screenplay)

Produced by
Peter Guber	....	executive producer
Alan Marshall	....	producer
David Puttnam	....	producer

Original Music by
Giorgio Moroder

Cinematography by
Michael Seresin

Film Editing by
Gerry Hambling

Production Design by
Geoffrey Kirkland

Art Direction by
Evan Hercules

Costume Design by
Milena Canonero

Makeup Department
Pat Hay	....	hair stylist
Mary Hillman	....	makeup artist
Sarah Monzani	....	hair stylist
Penny Steyne	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Richard Green	....	unit manager
Garth Thomas	....	production manager
Antoine Compin	....	production manager: second unit (uncredited)
Charis Horton	....	production manager: second unit (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Corbett	....	first assistant director
Kieron Phipps	....	third assistant director
David Wimbury	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Alan Booth	....	stand-by carpenter
Karen Brookes	....	property buyer
Kenneth Clarke	....	stand-by plasterer (as Ken Clark)
Bob Hedges	....	stand-by props
John Hemmington	....	dressing props
Katharina Kubrick	....	art department assistant
Bob Lapper	....	stagehand
John Leuenberger	....	property master
Douglas Regan	....	stand-by painter
Dennis Simmonds	....	stand-by props
Bill Welch	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Don Banks	....	sound camera
Rusty Coppleman	....	dubbing editor
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Ken Weston	....	boom operator
Clive Winter	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Beaumont Alexander	....	clapper loader (as Beau Alexander)
David Appleby	....	still photographer
Peter Bloor	....	electrician
Ray Coates	....	electrician
Nobby Cross	....	electrician
Freddy Fry	....	camera grip
Red Lawrence	....	rigger
Reg Parsons	....	electrician
Roy Rodhouse	....	electrician
John Stanier	....	camera operator
Bernard Lutic	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Casting Department
Penny Perry	....	casting: USA
Patsy Pollock	....	casting: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bobby Lavender	....	wardrobe
Yvonne Zarb Cousin	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Eddy Joseph	....	assistant editor
Tony Orton	....	assistant editor
Richard Taylor	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Paul Cadiou	....	assistant accountant
Valerie Craig	....	production secretary
Kay Fenton	....	continuity
Brian Harris	....	follow focus
Angela Micklesburgh	....	assistant to producer
Ron Phipps	....	production accountant
Caryn Picker	....	assistant to producer
Roy Scammell	....	fight arranger
Kathy Smith	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Casablanca Filmworks

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1978) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1978) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1978) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Egmont Entertainment (1999) (Finland) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1999) (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Nordisk Film Home Entertainment (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Belgium) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• VTC-Video (1987) (Finland) (video)

Other Companies

• Blowup  stills laboratory
• Casablanca Records  soundtrack available from
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Maltese | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:18 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1999) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1996) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1978) | France:-16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Fort St.Elmo, Valletta, Malta

Company:

Casablanca Filmworks

Trivia:

Filmed on location in Malta after permission to film in Istanbul was denied

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Turkish spoken by ostensible Turks portrayed in the film is uniformly broken. The actors are obviously not Turkish; sometimes the language is so broken it is difficult for native speakers to understand.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Susan makes her way through a line at an airline checkpoint]
Susan: Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me.
[she reaches Billy in line]
Susan: Nervous?
Billy Hayes: No.
Susan: Geez, I hate flying.
Billy Hayes: It's something I ate. I think I've been poisoned.
Susan: Or you're just excited about getting home.
Billy Hayes: No, I think it's the baklavas.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in EuroTrip (2004)

Soundtrack:

Istanbul Blues

Parker shows splendidly the terrible world of the Turkish prison...

"Midnight Express" is the upsetting true story of an American youth detained at Istanbul Airport trying to smuggle several packets of hashish… This terrific movie based on Hayes' book details the terrible story of his severe experience and final escape…

Brad Davis puts on view the frustration, anxiety and severe mental suffering of a tragic figure... He stands shaking with fear in a small enclosed chamber…

At the court, Davis' looks were lacking energy and interest... His voice trembled with rage and affliction when he delivered a despairing frantic speech accusing the prosecuting attorney and the judge...

In a prison of desolation, he refuses to accept one captive's advances; he steals an informer's money for revenge; and gives a harsh lesson in brutality on one oppressor...

Paul Smith plays beautifully the brutal and sadistic head-guard... Being of nature cruel and heartless, this bald man is vindictive and indifferent to the truth... He is cruel, vicious, unjust, and verbally abusive...

The Turkish prison is seen as an environment so dirty, horrific and inhuman, clouded by rape, beatings, stress and punishment... Parker permits the cruel prison guards—characterized by their aggressive, cynical, and inflexible behavior—to speak in Turkish since this situation can easily create hopelessness, frustration, hatred and despair...