Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Midnight Express by Billy Hayes Billy Hayes tells his version of 'Midnight Express' The Turkish government held Billy Hayes prisoner for five long years and Oliver Stone wrote an Oscar-winning screenplay about Hayes' hellish ordeal and eventual escape, but the convicted drug smuggler thinks the Eurasian nation took a bad rap from the 1978 film "Midnight Express." Hayes will finally get a chance to set the record straight when he tells his own story beginning at 8 tonight on the season premiere of the National Geographic Channel's "Locked Up Abroad." "I mean when you look at 'Midnight Express' the film, you don't see any good Turks at all," Hayes said in a recent interview at The Oklahoman . "It creates this overall impression that Turkey is this horrific place. Well, that's not fair to Turkey. I love Istanbul. I actually spent quite a bit of time in Istanbul before I was arrested." The film is based on Hayes' autobiography, but Hayes said even his own book doesn't tell the full story of his imprisonment in 1970 and his escape in 1975. "When I first got back, to write this book I had legal restrictions," he said. "There were things I really couldn't say, in terms of what happened in the past with my life, now that I was back in the United States, due to the legal jeopardy that it might put me in. So I had to be a little circumspect in what I said in the book." Hayes, 63, has been working as a writer, actor, producer and director in theater and film ever since. He's married to Wendy West, daughter of Jackie West, who was for many years a driving force in Oklahoma City's theater community before her death on May 4. Hayes was in Oklahoma City recently for Jackie West's memorial service. "One of the reasons that I think Jackie accepted me as a son-in-law so readily was because she loved theater," the New York native said. "When she first met me, I was an escaped convict drug smuggler, and a Yankee no less. . I actually met Wendy, of all places, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978 when 'Midnight Express' was premiered there." Hayes was introduced to his future wife by her cousin, Don Chastain, an Oklahoma City-born writer-actor who had a film, "The Mafu Cage," premiering at Cannes that year. "The rest is history because we've been together ever since," Hayes said. She even stuck by him when the release of "Midnight Express" caused an angry Turkish government to issue a warrant for Hayes' arrest through Interpol. "There's an attitude in the film, as much as I love what they did and I think (director) Alan Parker is a brilliant filmmaker, and (actor) Brad Davis put his heart and soul into the part (of Hayes), he was wonderful in that," Hayes said. "(But) there's an overall effect that wasn't true to Turkey and it wasn't true to my story." For example, he never bit the tongue out of the mouth of a trusty/informant, as was depicted in one of the film's most horrific scenes, although Hayes admits he did attack and try to kill the man. Further, the accidental killing of a sadistic guard who was preparing to rape him never happened. There was such a guard, an exception to the rule as the guards went, but he was gunned down in an Istanbul cafe by a former prisoner long before Hayes' escape. And in fact, Hayes never escaped from the infamous Sagmalcilar prison, but was eventually transferred to an island prison, where he ultimately escaped by sea in a rowboat in the middle of a storm. "The escape (in the film) is so totally different than my real escape," he said. "It was almost like an afterthought in the film." In the film, Hayes (Davis) is shown donning a guard's uniform and simply walking out through the gates. Hayes says there was much more to it than that, involving a lot of running and hiding through Turkey, dying his hair different colors, and swimming a river into Greece. "I had an escape that was made for Hollywood, and they didn't use it in the film," he said. Midnight Express: The cult film that had disastrous consequences for the Turkish tourism industry. It was one of Alan Parker’s greatest movies – a gut-wrenching prison epic with an Oliver Stone script and pounding Giorgio Moroder music. Midnight Express (1978), produced by David Puttnam, won two Oscars and very quickly assumed cult status. What the filmmakers hadn’t anticipated was just how deeply they had offended the Turkish people or the disastrous consequences their film had on the country‘s tourism industry. Now, Sally Sussman’s new film Midnight Return , which premieres in Cannes today, explores the legacy of one of the most controversial movies of its era. In Midnight Express , a young American, Billy Hayes (played by the late Brad Davis), is arrested at Istanbul airport with some hash taped to his chest. He is thrown in prison and endures a traumatic time at the hands of sadistic prison guards before managing to escape. The film features some brutal scenes, most notoriously the sequence in which Billy, in huge slow motion close-up, is shown biting out the tongue of the Turkish guard. Parker later acknowledged that he got a little bit carried away with this scene which required the unfortunate Davis to spit out a pig’s tongue again and again. “I’d never seen a movie, ever, that stuck with me the way that movie did,” Californian-based Sussman recalls of when she first saw Parker’s film as a student at the University of Southern California in the late 1970s. “I just remember leaving that film shaking.” Sussman went to carve out a career as a writer and producer of soap operas such as The Young And The Restless . By coincidence, her husband Tony Morino, knew Hayes, who became a family friend. “The character of Billy Hayes in the film was passive, much more of victim. The real Billy, in prison for the five years, was a very wily character, always plotting, always planning, always hoping he could escape, which he eventually did.” There was a reason for the casting of Davis. The studio had originally wanted Richard Gere for the role but the filmmakers realised Gere was too much the hero. For the movie really to work, audiences, had to believe that Billy wasn’t going to make it. That’s why they went for a sensitive actor like Davis. In the documentary, Parker, producer Puttnam and many others involved in the original production appear on screen as does the real Hayes and two fellow prisoners held with him during his nightmare time in a Turkish jail. Sussman explores the impact of Midnight Express on Turkey and on the life of Hayes. “It [Midnight Express] became a huge part of pop culture and it also had political ramifications,” the director says. “It was probably the most hated film ever in Turkey.” The prison warders are portrayed as sadistic, lazy and corrupt. The Turkish legal system likewise comes out of the film very badly. Even the warder's children are shown as being overweight and grotesque. After interviewing all the protagonists behind the film, Sussman has concluded that Midnight Express was made with “no malice” or no intention to offend the Turks. “I can’t believe for one moment that was Alan’s motive,” she says of director Parker. “I think that was what you call an unintended consequence. I think they were creating what they thought was a somewhat loosely based story on Hayes’s life.” When Midnight Express was released, it was credited with destroying the Turkish tourism industry almost single-handed and of poisoning relations between Turkey and the West. In the documentary, Parker stands by his work, but Stone expresses his regret at the misunderstanding that arose from the film. In the documentary, Sussman, her husband and Hayes visit Turkey. Hayes discovers that he is still persona non grata. “He was very emotional being back in Turkey because he really loved Turkey and he always felt bad about its portrayal in the film,” Sussman says. “When he was back there, it was a chance for him to reassure Turkish people that ‘no. I don’t hate you’ …even if they hated him.” When Hayes visited the places where he had been incarcerated, he had to be accompanied by plain clothes Turkish policemen for his own protection. He didn’t publicise his visit. Midnight Return is screening in Cannes, just as Midnight Express did all those years ago, when Hayes attended the premiere – and met his future wife Wendy. Did Hayes hide any marijuana in his socks when he was leaving Istanbul this time round? “He might have … but he didn’t tell me!” Sussman bursts into laughter at the question. ‘Midnight Return’ screens in Cannes this week. Join our new commenting forum. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Midnight Express. Midnight Express is a 1978 drama that tells the true story of Billy Hayes (Brad Davis), a young American who is sentenced to a Turkish prison for drug smuggling and the harrowing conditions he must endure while incarcerated there. The film was directed by Alan Parker ( Mississippi Burning ) and was based on a novel that was adapted for the screen by Oliver Stone, who received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The following weapons were used in the film Midnight Express : Contents. Sterling L2A3. Turkish soldiers are seen carrying the Sterling L2A3 notably at the airport. 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Midnight Express. There's even more behind this controversial tale of one man's desperate escape from captivity. The prison break movie, Midnight Express, is an exaggerated story based on the real-life arrest of an American tourist. While on vacation in Turkey, Billy Hayes, was arrested for possession of hashish and originally sentenced to four years. Towards the end of his sentence, Billy was retried for smuggling and was condemned to serve life behind bars. While desperately trying to survive the harsh environment of Istanbul’s Sagmalcilar Prison, Hayes and a few fellow inmates made attempts to catch the midnight express (prison slang for escape). Hayes ended up spending a total of five years incarcerated before fleeing to Greece at the end of 1975. Oliver Stone’s first blockbuster hit is now forty-two years old. It helped Stone, and director, Alan Parker, cement themselves as new and ambitious filmmakers in Hollywood and set a precedent for future prison break movies. Despite its age, the seminal movie’s ruthless exploration of life in prison still hits hard. It is also still not without controversy. 20. Dawson’s Field Hijacking. At the start of Midnight Express, we see American traveller Billy Hayes psyching himself up in an airport bathroom before he attempts to smuggle a shedload of hashish on board. Hayes’ attempt at making a quick buck through his friends back in the States is suddenly thwarted when a security guard pats Billy down before boarding. Immediately, the young American has a militia pointing their guns at him. This may seem like simple Hollywood exaggeration. However, during September 1970, four aeroplanes had been successfully hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine members. On flights departing from Brussels, Zurich, Bahrain, and Amsterdam, PFLP members had managed to take over the control of the planes with the help of handguns, grenades and other explosive devices. Airports around Eurasia were on red alert, and security was extra tight. Hayes’ decision to strap the hashish to his body made it appear more like a suicide vest, and that explains the initial overreaction from airport security. ‘Midnight Express’ Hash Smuggler Billy Hayes on His Remorseful Return to Turkey. Documentaries are snarling little beasts of art, birthed in passionate fits and sustained by brass and vision as the years wear on and the filmmakers find themselves traveling a long, winding road. Our road extended over 10 years with curves and potholes, grief and joy. When Sally Sussman, (director/writer/producer), and her husband and old friend, Anthony Morina (producer), heard me mention how I’d always wanted to return to Istanbul, magical city of my youthful adventures and misadventures where I’d been sentenced to life in prison for smuggling hashish, it rang a bell in Sally’s storyteller mind. Knowing the enormous impact Midnight Express had on the culture, she suggested we make a doc about Billy Hayes returning to Turkey, using that vehicle to tell a larger story about the power of film and how Midnight Express adversely affected a country—Turkey—and its people. It sounded bizarre enough for me, and I told her she could talk to anyone about anything and I didn’t want to see any footage until she was finished. We soon discovered that getting back into Turkey was going to be as hard as getting out. I wanted to return to set the record straight about the differences between my real story and the movie Midnight Express . Because the film was skewed so heavily against the Turks, I became a hated man in Turkey, mostly for the infamous courtroom speech where my character, being sentenced to life in prison, shouts Oliver Stone’s angry words, cursing out the nation of Turkey and vowing to “fuck all their sons and daughters.” What I actually said in the courtroom to the judge holding my life in his hands was that I couldn’t agree with them, all I could do was forgive them. Big difference. But “fuck their sons and daughters” is what the world has heard for the last 40 years since the film was released. Our attempts to obtain a visa for me were repeatedly rejected. I was an escaped convict/drug smuggler who’d had an Interpol warrant issued by Turkey for his arrest, and now that I want to return to Turkey they don’t want me back. I’m officially labeled persona non grata. Oh, the irony. Sally had a long list of people she wanted to interview—including my friends and family, members of the creative team that made the movie, various Turkish officials and other Turks for their side of the issue. She followed me around for years onto sets as I worked as an actor, and as the economic pressure grew, we knew that if I couldn’t get back into Turkey, the guts would be missing from this doc. It was two years of rejections from Turkey. Then a friend led us to Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records and one of the most famous Turks in the world. This gracious gentleman saw that our aim was true and agreed to become our champion in the cause of my revisiting Turkey. We felt for the first time that we could actually get there. But when Ahmet fell backstage at a Rolling Stones concert, went into a coma and died, our hopes died with him. I let go of my dream of returning to Turkey and the documentary was dead. Then out of the blue I got a call from a man named Farhat, who told me he’s with the Turkish National Police (the Turkish equivalent of the FBI) and wanted to speak about bringing me back to Istanbul. I was floored to say the least, seeing as we had tried for more than two years. He explained that some of his TNP colleagues had seen an old interview on YouTube where I’d expressed my feelings about the Turks and my desire to return to Istanbul. Farhat told me his organization was hosting an international conference on global security in Istanbul and this event would be the perfect opportunity for me to talk to the Turkish people. Despite warnings from my family and friends, including my lawyer, who felt the invitation was a trap and that they would arrest me the moment I stepped off the plane, I decided to take the chance. With three days’ notice, Sally, Tony, and I headed for Istanbul with no idea what to expect once we arrived. As we discovered, this was a very risky move for the Turkish National Police but they felt it was time for their country to move beyond the stigma of Midnight Express , which they had grown up with. To me, it fulfilled my dream of going back to Turkey. My message of healing and forgiveness will be heard, and hopefully help Turkey move past the horrific images of the movie. Sitting beside Sally and Tony on the 9:15 p.m. Air France jet that thundered down the runway and lifted into the dark night sky, I traveled back into my past—to the pain and joy of my youth. Last time I flew to Istanbul, I was 23 years old and thought I was invincible, that the world was mine. Until it all came crashing down. Touching down on Turkish soil for the first time in 32 years, I was greeted by smiling young TNP officers, all excited to shake my hand, welcome me back, saying they’ve heard about me since they were kids. As I was kept in a small room alone with the cops while they explained my visa to the flummoxed immigration officer, I have a flash of the day in 1970 when I was arrested, my arms piled with hash plaques and cops on both sides of me, lining up for a photo like big-game hunters. Then I was the captured prize; now I’m some semi-legendary, mythological figure returning from the past. Four dreamlike days passed as I spoke to the Turkish people via a lively press conference, and visited places from my youth—like the fabled Pudding Shoppe where I first scored my hash. The owner came out to meet us and told me, thanks to the publicity from my book and the movie, the Pudding Shoppe was the only business in Turkey to benefit from Midnight Express . His family became so successful that they bought the hotel next door. That warmed my heart, considering so much of the Turkish economy was damaged by the movie. 7th Art Releasing. We then visited the Istanbul city jail where I spent my first terrifying night. Walking through what is now a five-star Four Seasons Hotel, I couldn’t believe what was once considered hell was now a paragon of luxury. No doubt Turkey had changed significantly. The next day I was able to slowly circle around outside the tall gray walls of Sagmalcilar Prison, where I spent more than four years. I stopped to look up over the barbed wire at the barred cellblock windows from where I once peered down at this very street. Eventually, I descended into the grimy basement of the long-abandoned Bakirk ö y Hospital, Section 13 for the Criminally Insane. Truly the most bizarre place I have ever been, I got myself committed there in an effort to escape in 1972—a place I never, ever expected to see again. Circling the infamous pillar in the middle of the room as the inmates did all day long brought back all the terrifying moments I had experienced, and you can see my ashen face as I come out of there, no doubt traumatized by the memories. When my one-man show, Riding the Midnight Express With Billy Hayes , played at the Barrow Street Theater in Manhattan in 2014, prominent members of the Turkish-American community came to see it, and suddenly, their hatred toward me evaporated. They later invited me to raise the Turkish flag above Wall Street for the annual commemoration of the founding of the Turkish Republic, attended by the consul general and other Turkish officials. Talk about coming full circle! Sally finally had the ending for her documentary. In May 2016, I find myself on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with my wife Wendy by my side, 39 years after we met there in 1978 at the world premiere of Midnight Express . Now we’re here for the world premiere screening of Sally’s documentary: Midnight Return: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey . Thierry Frémaux, head of the festival and luminary of French cinema, greeted us himself, congratulating Sally and Tony, our long-suffering, ever-steady producer, and Sean Fanton, our editor and co-producer. He playfully pats me down under the arms, and our howls of laughter set the tone for the next four days. We are thrilled to be here; for me and Wendy, it’s a dream come true. But the postscript to our story is not a happy one for our friends at the Turkish National Police. Like hundreds of journalists, teachers, lawyers, and other professionals, they have been purged in the recent authoritarian crackdown by Turkey’s current government after a failed coup in 2015. Our main bodyguard and friend sits in prison, with no charges against him. His boss was forced to escape with his family into Greece, following the exact route I had taken all those long years ago. I offer geçmiş olsun to them and to my other friends in Turkey. A last bit of irony: I’m now back in the cannabis world, 50 years after my initial foray, promoting the legal use of this plant around which my fate has so inexorably twined. I wish my dad was still around—the look on his face would be priceless. Infamous drug smuggler and prison escapee whose experience in a Turkish prison was the basis of the hit cult film, Midnight Express , Billy Hayes recounts his story and his shocking return to Turkey in a new feature documentary, Midnight Return: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey , available on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon on March 23.