Aile Şerefi (Family Honour) is a Turkish drama film directed by Orhan Aksoy, with the screenplay written by Sadık Şendil, Suphi Tekniker, and Orhan Aksoy. The film focuses on the social structure of the era and family solidarity, highlighting the dynamics of traditional Turkish family life, class differences, and moral values.

^{Family Honor (TRT)}

Plot

Rıza is a hardworking man who sells mineral water by horse-drawn cart to support his family, which includes his wife Adile and five children. When his newly married daughter Ayşe and her husband Zihni move into the same house, the family faces increased financial difficulties. Zihni works as a street vendor, Hasan studies at medical school, Selim works in a factory, and Zeynep is employed in a garment workshop.

The youngest child, Murat, a middle school student, is severely injured by a car accident, deeply affecting the family. The driver, who becomes obsessively infatuated with Zeynep, creates further turmoil for the family. His father, fully devoted to his son’s desires, exacerbates the threat. The young man, Oktay, disrupts the peace of Rıza’s household, and Rıza, seeking to protect his family’s honour and order, must confront and resolve the situation.

Themes

The film revolves around the theme of the “poor but proud family”. It emphasizes social solidarity, familial loyalty, class struggle, honour, and morality. The narrative also reflects the economic hardships, social inequality, and urbanization challenges of 1970s Turkey, blending these issues with dramatic storytelling. The role of the family and individual responsibilities within this structure are central to the plot.

Cast

• Münir Özkul – Rıza
• Adile Naşit – Emine
• Itır Esen – Zeynep
• Şevket Altuğ – Zihni
• Ayşen Gruda – Ayşe
• Eriş Akman – Oktay
• Ahmet Sezerel – Murat
• Betül Asçıoğlu – Alev
• Muhip Arcıman – Fehmi

Release and Distribution

The film was released in 1976 in Turkey and was shown nationwide in multiple cinemas. Produced with the support of leading Yeşilçam producers of the era, the film reached a wide audience.

Significance and Impact

Aile Şerefi is regarded as one of the prominent family dramas in Turkish cinema. It is celebrated for both its strong cast and its sensitive portrayal of social issues, making it a classic of the Yeşilçam period. The film’s message about family solidarity and the preservation of moral values, combined with the social context of 1970s Turkey, left a lasting impression. The characters portrayed by Münir Özkul and Adile Naşit remain iconic in Turkish cinema history.