Eros e Thanatos a Istanbul. Note sulla trilogia di Kilink (1967) di Yılmaz Atadeniz

Abstract The Turkish cinema of the 1960s, marked by a fragmented and artisanal production system, experienced a unique phenomenon with the Kilink trilogy directed by Yılmaz Atadeniz in 1967. Kilink, a character directly inspired by the Italian photo-novel Killing –itself a derivative of Kriminal and Diabolik – became the protagonist of a series of low-budget films that blended crime, erotica, and superhero action. This cultural hybridization exemplifies the appropriation of Italian “fumetto nero” aesthetics and pulp narratives within the Turkish cinematic landscape, dominated at the time by popular genres and a “Yeşilçam” industry model driven by market demands rather than structured investment. The trilogy (Kilink İstanbul’da, Kilink Uçan Adama Karşı, Kilink Soy ve Öldür) emerged within this context, turning Istanbul into a cinematic crossroad of Western pulp influences, James Bond-esque espionage, and serial villainy reminiscent of early silent film serials like Fantômas and Les Vampires. The first film, Kilink İstanbul’da, showcases a criminal in a skeleton suit operating within the exotic-modern setting of Istanbul, a location simultaneously echoing postcolonial allure and Cold War spy fiction. Following this debut, Kilink Uçan Adama Karşı pits the villain against a superhero figure, while Kilink Soy ve Öldür escalates the themes of eroticism and sadistic violence, hallmarks of “fotoromanzo nero”, adapted with a Turkish flavor for local audiences. The trilogy illustrates a form of exploitation cinema mirroring 1960s Turkey’s social contradictions – caught between tradition and Westernization, cinematic imitation and cultural specificity. Despite its artisanal constraints and censorship challenges – the scenes involving violence and erotic content had Insoliti ignoti Denis Lotti 198 ISSN 2975-2604 to be edited – the Kilink saga achieved notable popularity. It extended beyond Atadeniz’s trilogy into films directed by other Turkish filmmakers, often intertwining with other pulp-inspired genres, such as the adventures of a female version of the supercriminal (Disi Kilink, 1967) or crossovers with iconic monsters and spies (Kilink Frankenstein ve Dr. No’ya Karşı, 1967). The Kilink phenomenon demonstrates how global pulp narratives could be appropriated, remixed, and localized in Turkey’s cinematic melting pot, serving both as mass entertainment and as a reflection of the country’s shifting cultural landscape. The adaptation of Killing into Turkish cinema thus represents a significant case of transnational media flow and cultural translation, echoing the global fascination with masked antiheroes and transgressive figures, while underlining Istanbul’s role as a narrative and production hub for this peculiar cinematic subgenre.