Character Studies
Thursday, June 11, 2009
When I first met him, Umit seemed like a
loveable rogue, a warrior champion of traditional cinematic values who was just
a little touched in the head. After
receiving a half-hour lecture on the evils of digital film he sold me an 8mm
film of Chalie Chaplin a DVD of a
Kurdish superhero flick called 'Kilink.' Like Umit himself, Kilink is a mixed
up man--a bizarre melange of Superman, Spiderman and The Punisher. Umit, on the
other hand, is a wired, crazed local Turkish guy who enthuses about sweets,
Kung Fu, and the occasional 'under-the-counter' number. His werido little shop
has become the stuff of legend. A museum to analogue culture, you can't move
for old projectors, reel-to-reel films, memorabilia and the usual sweets and
drinks with which he stays financially afloat. He runs a 35mm film club and
there's even a documentary (shot on glorious digital film) about him
circulating somewhere. He cuts a rather Chaplinesque figure in Clapton; a moustachioed
loner who takes his work very seriously but is not afraid to play for laughs.
|
Photo:
Michael Kasparis
|
|
Link It •
Print It •
Email It
|
|
|