Paul Verhoeven is known as provocative filmmaker who likes to create daring visual images. He's mostly known by his Hollywood films with unsteady quality. 'Turkish Delight' was Verhoevens first hit in Netherlands and was voted as best Dutch film of the century. With the very first minutes Verhoeven manages to disturb the viewer and unsuspecting viewer can even start to think - what I just got myself into? Very bold depiction of sex and sexuality doesn't seem forced and even the small bursts of intense violence don't stand out from the rest of the film as some bright (or dark) spots.'Turkish Delight' is heartwarming and heartbreaking love story between free spirited Olga (Monique van de Ven) and care free sculptor Eric (Rutger Hauer). Both main stars have such a chemistry between them that nothing seems to forced. Their relationship seems as natural as sunshine in Florida (or rain in London).Very few directors are capable of making such warm films with provocative aplomb and Verhoeven is master at this game.

The story is so good and the acting so superior that the second half becomes much more than just an exploitation film… It begins with Eric, a sculptor and chronic woman-chaser, whose wife is dying of a brain tumor… Eric is so successful with the ladies that he begins collecting their hair, attaching it into his scrapbook… He comes across a striking redhead named Olga, whom he brutally seduces in the car... Instead of cutting her hair, he falls in love with her and chases her all over Holland… The treatment of sex is stimulating and humorous… It is not graphic, but the performers are quite active and the erotic encounters are exceptionally realistic… It moves quickly from reality to sexual fantasies combined with daydreams of killing, blood, and vengeance… Despite these outrageous displays, the movie is so full of life and powerful acting that it is more fascinating than repelling

Regarded as the most successful Dutch film, "Turks Fruit" (Turkish Delight) is a melodramatic romantic-tragedy directed by Paul Verhoeven.Verhoeven is renowned for his frank and extreme depictions of sex and violence, and "Turks Fruit" is no different. Violence, feces, vomit and many other scenes that western audiences are sure to find challenging, are on frequent display, presented by Verhoeven in a very matter-of-fact style.But it never feels exploitative. If anything, it's funny to see Verhoeven sticking his camera wherever he pleases. His framing here is also different to his other films, the director adopting a highly free-form style of shooting, lots of hand-held camera work, no storyboarding, little rehearsal and a preference for early takes, all in an attempt to captures raw and spontaneous natural performances.The film's plot is really insignificant. It's the tale of an artist (Rutger Hauer) who has trouble dealing with his wife's (Monique van de Ven) selfish mother. This friction leads to an intense courting and marital relationship. Eventually husband and wife grow apart, only to be brought back together by the realisation that Monique has cancer. When his wife dies, Rutger Hauer walks sadly off into the sunset. It's an R rated take on Arthur Hiller's "Love Story".It's a trite story, but Verhoeven inserts some simple visual metaphors to elevate things. Artwork is compared to the passion of romance, whilst decay and maggots crop up again and again to highlight the cancerous way the couple's relationship gradually collapses. The film is constantly switching between two aesthetics: a colourful, pleasing palette (good times) and a really nasty griminess (bad times). 7.9/10- Worth watching once for its style, bombastic pace, catchy musical score, and some beautiful Dutch women. Rutger Hauer comes across as a sex starved brute, until the final act in which Verhoeven lingers on his sculptors and artwork, all of which feature pregnant women and babies. Poor Rutger only wanted a family.

Turkish Delight is one of those films that is a rare gem. In my opinion, this is Paul Verhoven's finest piece of work. I can rarely say that a film deeply touches my life, but this is one of those cases. It's power just overwhelmed me. Eric Vonk is a somewhat carefree and rebellious young artist that finds true and undying love in the arms of young Olga, an equally as free spirited young redhead. Though their relationship is very sexually dynamic, it is also filled with sincere tenderness and honest devotion. Unfortunately, Eric is left with the harsh reality of adulthood and heartbreak when Olga leaves him (for very questionable reasons). Eric learns that sometimes love is so strong that nothing can extinguish it. The power of the film lies in its gritty realism. This isn't a film that tries to leave out the "gorey" details of life. As a matter of fact, Paul Verhoven is very in your face. He wants his audience to experience a range of emotions and even feel the need to turn away here and there. (One scene that immediately springs to mind involves a toilet...) However, in the end I could't help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of the love story. It is the most powerful film of its kind, in my opinion. Unfortunately, the film is not that well know in the US. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1974, but it seems to have somewhat disappeared after that. The film is ranked the best Dutch Film of the Century and certainly one of its most popular. The novel, written by famed Dutch author Jan Wolkers, is read in many Dutch schools. It continues to sell many copies to this day. However, it went out of print in the US in 1983. While copies are available from used online book sources, the price tag is usually a bit steep. Jan Wolkers' novel is truly a masterpiece. Like the film, it uses gritty and sometimes obscene language but it never fails to ooze with passion and love. The reader cannot help but feel Wolkers' love for the young redheaded creature. A musical version of the story is opening in Amsterdam, however, I am not sure that anything can compete with the work of art that Verhoven created. The 1974 film will always be the one and only in my heart.