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)
• 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)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1978) (Finland) (theatrical)

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

Colour:

Colour (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 (cut) (1996) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1999) | 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:

In a scene at the airport, the customs officer (played by the late Joe Zammit Cordina) supposedly speaks Turkish. However in reality, he is speaking Maltese after he forgot his lines in Turkish and decided to use Maltese.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Boom operator visible chasing[?] as he climbs a path by the prison wall.

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 Max & Paddy's The Power of Two (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Istanbul Blues

Engaging

I saw this movie on DVD and thought it to be a pretty good movie. Brad Davis was excellent in the title role. It is a little bit difficult to watch, as you wonder why the Turkish government uses Davis' character as a pawn of political expressions, but that was enough to keep me interested in this based-on-a-true-story film. Hollywood has never been known for completely accurate portrayals, so I'm sure the Turkish government portrayed in this movie is much different in real-life, as I kept thinking this movie must not be well-liked in Turkey.