IRON FIST: THE GIANTS ARE COMING
(DEMIR YUMRUK: DEVLER GELIYOR)
Dir. Tunç Başaran, 1973
Turkey. 70 min.
In Turkish with English subtitles.

FRIDAY, JULY 5 – 5 PM
THURSDAY, JULY 18 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 20 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 26 – MIDNIGHT

A stash of uranium is hidden away with the only clue being a dagger with a map to the location engraved on it. The diabolical, flamboyant villain Fu Manchu seeks out the cache to help him rule the world, but after murdering an archaeologist with a lead on the loot, the archaeologist’s son turns to the superhero Iron Fist to help bring the bad guys to justice.

No program of superhero oddities would be complete without a trip to 1970s Turkey, aka the Wild West of unlicensed superhero schlock. With a booming film industry but not enough written material to keep pace with demand, Turkish screenwriters and directors throughout the 60s & 70s turned to quick and cheap adaptations of popular Western characters, tailored to the tastes of local audiences. Despite the name or the “S” insignia, Iron Fist is more of a riff on the 60s Batman-type of vigilante that relies more on gadgets and cheesy one-liners than superpowers, making for a delightfully odd piece of Turkish pop cinema.