Biyograficim
Büyük Yemin

The Great Oath

Movie · 1969 · 4 people

Memduh Ün directed and produced the 1969 Turkish film Büyük Yemin (The Great Oath). A drama-adventure built around a blood feud, tradition and filial devotion, it is a Turkish-Iranian co-production in Turkish and Persian; conflict, torture and imprisonment all weigh heavily in the plot. Made by Uğur Film from a screenplay by Duygu Sağıroğlu, it was shot in the mountains around Antalya.

The story begins when Ahmet is killed by Hamza of the Zaloğlu family. Ahmet's young son Ali kills Hamza in revenge and goes to prison. On his release he becomes the hunted one: Hamza's son Dursun tracks him down and, during the chase, tortures Ali's mother. Dursun's sister Ayşe has sworn, like her brother, not to leave their father's blood unavenged, yet she falls for the feud's target, Ali. Cüneyt Arkın plays both Ali and Ahmet, with Bilâl İnci as Dursun, Füruzan as Ayşe and Fatma Girik as Iraz. Behçet Nacar, İsmet Erten, Ahmet Turgutlu and Talia Saltı also appear, and screenwriter Sağıroğlu plays the gendarme commander.

Cahit Engin was director of photography and Özdemir Arıtan edited the film. Sabri Arslankara was production manager, and Acar Film handled the dubbing.

DirectorMemduh Ün
Production companyUğur Film

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Cast

Bilâl İnci Bilâl İnci Actor · died at 69 Cüneyt Arkın Cüneyt Arkın Actor · died at 84 Fatma Girik Fatma Girik Actor · died at 79 Füruzan (oyuncu) Füruzan (oyuncu) Actor · died at 78

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Through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Seeing Cüneyt Arkın as both the father, Ahmet, and the son, Ali, recalls the generous star cinema of Yeşilçam. The Great Oath sets its blood feud and code of honour against the harsh mountains around Antalya and builds a classic moral drama: Ayşe, torn between an oath of vengeance and the voice of her heart, is the story's most human face. Familiar faces like Fatma Girik and Bilâl İnci lend the cast a reassuring solidity. Duygu Sağıroğlu's script seems to weigh the cost of hatred handed down from father to son. A warm return for anyone fond of old-style tales of tradition.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

Not one for the children. A blood feud, revenge killings and the torture of a mother sit at the heart of the story. The subject is heavy and harsh. It is a strong drama of family and tradition for teenagers and adults, but better saved for after the little ones are in bed. Grandparents will enjoy seeing Cüneyt Arkın, and it can open a conversation about blood feuds.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The Great Oath takes up the blood feud and the code of honour, themes Yeşilçam returned to often in the late 1960s, as a burden passed from one generation to the next. The boy who avenges his father leaves prison only to become the hunted one himself, which shows plainly how a feud turns into an endless cycle. Ayşe's struggle between her oath and her feelings is a thought-provoking detail about how tradition casts women as both party and victim. As a Turkish-Iranian co-production in Turkish and Persian, it also opens a small window onto the regional film ties of its day. The figure of the gendarme commander, meanwhile, recalls the state's place in these reckonings.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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