Long Lost Turkish Star Wars Film Found

The 1982 Turkish film The Man Who Saves the World is known more for what it took from other films than anything else, but nonetheless it is a coveted part of film history.

Now that history is in the hands of Neon Harbor owner and film historian Ed Glaser. The Turkish film used stolen footage and audio from a number of fan-favorite franchises including Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more. The film released theatrically in Turkey in 1982, but soon after that it fell off the map, obtainable only through the wonders of old VHS copies and Youtube.

Recently a 35 mm print of the film was found in the collection of a retired movie projectionist. He came upon it right after its theatrical release, when he decided to tell the studio it was damaged so he could keep the copy. Since then he's just held onto it until Glaser purchased it.

The Man Who Saves the World tells the story of two space pilots who happen upon a planet ruled by an evil wizard. Though they didn't outright steal the costumes for their creatures and robots, you can see the similarities between their creations and franchises like Battlestar Galactica and Forbidden Planet. In the clip above you can see some of that Star Wars footage splicing at work.

"A 35mm print of 'Turkish Star Wars' is the holy grail," says Glaser, "not just of rip-off films, but all cult film. There are no negatives, and the few other prints of the film ever struck have been destroyed. My goal is to get this one scanned to preserve it for posterity — and hopefully screened in a theater for other fans like me."

You can view some additional photos in the gallery.