Dracula in Istanbul

(1953, 102m, Turkish and Romanian w/English subtitles) dir Mehmet Muhtar, w/ Annie Ball, Atıf Kaptan, Bülent Oran, Ayfer Feray, Kadri Ögelman, Cahit Irgat. The earliest surviving Turkish horror film adapts Bram Stoker’s novel and transports Count Dracula (Kaptan) to the streets of Istanbul. The fanged vampire (referred to as a “hortlak”) is also a blood-sucking capitalist who enlists his lawyer Azmi (Oran) to buy up real estate for him. Azmi’s wife Güzin (Ball) moonlights as a nightclub dancer whose somnambulist best friend Şadan (Feray) suffers from mysterious dreams. This is a truly bizarre take on a gothic classic–rarely screened and newly restored in 4K from a badly damaged 35mm print! DCP courtesy of Sinematek/Sinema Evi. 7:00