Ertem Egilmez - Hababam sinifi aka Outrageous Class (1975)

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You can call a movie a classic, if you can watch it over and over again and not get bored.., 7 June 2002
10/10
Author: eilgin from Istanbul, Turkey

Hababam Sýnýfý (Hababam Class)is a great comedy which reflects as the best example of 'the marvelous era of 70's comedies' of the Turkish cinema. It is about a class of highschool students in a private school. Their school tuition are paid by their ignorant parents who think that's all for them to get prepared for life. The students bond each other as a family. They are lazy, ignorant, funny and the worst nightmare of their teachers. Adile Ana (ana=mother) who is the attendant in the school is like their own mother and she accepts them as real sons.

Their kingdom over the school is challenged when a new principal (Munir Ozkul) comes. He doesn't have a family (says he didn't have time to found one while dealing with others education), and plays a role of though, disciplined, but deep inside a warm hearted teacher and principle.

The movie is full of hilariously funny scenes of the students' adventures between themselves, their teachers, other students and of course the principle who declared a war on them to get them disciplined.

It is funny but also a touchy film when they found the 'father' figure they lost in the principle.

There is one thing we should mention about the plot; the movie reflects the Turkish culture. Therefore there are not brutal gang members in the class terrorizing teachers and the school. They are just playing innocent jokes on everybody not harming anybody but their own future. They are still respectful to the elderly and teachers.

It is a great movie.

lost in translation, 13 May 2006
10/10
Author: profdrzihnisinir from United States

This is a great comedy but obviously a typical American won't laugh as much as a Turkish person. Kemal Sunal and his classmates play it in the same tradition like Jerry Lewis and Charlie Chaplin. I showed the movie to an American friend, and with some translation, he laughed and enjoyed it, too. So, it is normal for Turks to give it a 10 rating, and non-turks to give a 7.3, and the difference is due to something lost in the translation! The other thing is, the Turks don't laugh at actually what the characters are saying, but HOW they are saying... The facial expressions, the accent, body language.. all contribute... So you have to live for a while in Turkey to fully appreciate this movie...