20 Things You Didn’t Know About Midnight Express

Before the film’s release, the producers previewed Midnight Express to a few friends. One viewer ran out of the screening halfway through. Unnerved by the fate of Max’s cat, the friend couldn’t handle the brutality of the movie.

Premiering the movie at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival, Midnight Express was sold out. Once the film had ended, the audience remained silent. Originally worried about the reception, the producers were relieved when the credits ended and the audience gave it a standing ovation.

The following day, however, the initial criticism over the portrayal of Turkish people became a topic of conversation. Upon the movie’s theatrical release in the Netherlands, one audience member was so disgusted with the movie they set fire to the cinema.

The producers argued that the film was not intended to be so political, instead, they wanted to focus on the depths humanity can sink when faced with insurmountable odds.

In a ‘making of’ documentary, director Alan Parker expressed his criticism of the film being dubbed ‘based on a true story.’ Parker states that the movie was highly fictionalised to focus on the character portrayed by Brad Davis, and not intended to truthfully represent the Turkish justice system realistically.