Midnight Express (film)

Midnight Express
Midnight Express
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alan Parker
Screenplay by	Oliver Stone
Based on	Midnight Express; by Billy Hayes; William Hoffer
Produced by	Alan Marshall; David Puttnam;
Starring	Brad Davis; Irene Miracle; Bo Hopkins; Randy Quaid; John Hurt; Paul L. Smith;
Cinematography	Michael Seresin
Edited by	Gerry Hambling
Music by	Giorgio Moroder
Production; company	Casablanca FilmWorks
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	18 May 1978 (Cannes); 10 August 1978 (U.K.); 6 October 1978 (U.S.);
Running time	121 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; United States;
Languages	English; Turkish; Maltese;
Budget	$2.3 million
Box office	$35 million

Midnight Express is a 1978 prison drama film directed by Alan Parker and adapted by Oliver Stone from Billy Hayes's 1977 memoir of the same name. The film centers on Hayes (played by Brad Davis), a young American student, who is sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. The film's title is prison slang for his escape attempt. The cast also features Irene Miracle, John Hurt, Bo Hopkins, Paul L. Smith and Randy Quaid.

Upon release, Midnight Express received generally positive reviews from critics. Many praised Davis's performance as well as the cast, the writing, the direction, and the musical score by Giorgio Moroder. Hayes and others criticized the film for portraying the Turkish prison men as violent and villainous and for deviating too much from the source material.^[3]^[4]

The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for Parker at the 51st Academy Awards in 1979, and won Best Adapted Screenplay for Stone and Best Original Score for Moroder. It also won six Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama and BAFTA Awards for Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for Hurt).

^ ^a ^b "Midnight Express (1978)". Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
^ ^a ^b "Midnight Express (1978)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
^ Smith, Helena (16 December 2004). "Stone sorry for Midnight Express". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
^ Flinn, John (9 January 2004). "The real Billy Hayes regrets 'Midnight Express' cast all Turks in a bad light". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

[bfi-1] "Midnight Express (1978)". Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-11-20.

[BOM-2] "Midnight Express (1978)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2012.

[Stone-3] Smith, Helena (16 December 2004). "Stone sorry for Midnight Express". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

[4] Flinn, John (9 January 2004). "The real Billy Hayes regrets 'Midnight Express' cast all Turks in a bad light". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

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