The Man Who Saves the World
2018 · RESTORATION
Known to generations of cult-film fans as Turkish Star Wars, The Man Who Saves the World (1982) is one of the most infamous and beloved genre films ever made. Directed by Turkish exploitation master Çetin İnanç and starring action icon Cüneyt Arkın, the film combines space battles, skeleton armies, furry monsters, and a villain known simply as the Wizard—all while borrowing footage and music from a dizzying array of Hollywood productions. The result is a film so inventive, chaotic, and uniquely Turkish that it became a worldwide cult sensation decades after its original release.
In 2018, Ed Glaser completed the first-ever 2K restoration and reconstruction of The Man Who Saves the World from the film’s only surviving 35mm theatrical print. For decades, the cult classic had circulated exclusively on VHS after its original film elements were lost. Then, in 2015, the long-lost print resurfaced after more than 30 years in the possession of a cinema projectionist who never returned it. Because it was incomplete, missing sections were rebuilt from multiple videotape sources to restore scenes damaged or removed over decades of exhibition. The project also included a new English subtitle translation and extensive color restoration and grading. The film premiered at The Cinema Museum in London in its restored form before touring the United Kingdom and later screening as part of the Turkish Film Remakes festival.
Note: Screening and distribution rights are controlled by the film’s rights holders and are not available through Neon Harbor.
