MovieChat Forums > Turks fruit (1974) Discussion > What did the father die of?

What did the father die of?

posted 17 years ago by djgjd
9 replies | jump to latest

Any Ideas? He is terribly bloated, obviously there is a terrible smell, and stuff is dripping through the mattress.

In the book, it mentions that he is seriously overweight and has heart problems (if I remember correctly). It also mentions that his wife feeds him heeping portions of fattening food in hopes of killing him off. The film really didn't play up on this too much.

[–] arepdeadlift 17 years ago

I believe the guy was dying of cancer, at least that's the impression I got having watching it only last night. various cancers do bloat people out. It is a gross film in many ways; but definetly wins you over as a sad love story. you really feel for Eric when he realises his wife is unfaithful. when he pukes up it's a very realistic responce. Should have realised she was easy when he condidered how he met her. a truly GREAT film, turkish delight. I love its rawness.

[–] runar-4 17 years ago

I got the impression that it was some kind of cancer (I don't know Dutch but I'm sure the word "kanker" was mentioned during the sickbed scene). This also explains Olga's distress near the end of the film when she finds that she had a brain tumor - remember that into the 1960s, cancer was much more feared and had a greater stigma attached than it does now. People in Eric and Olga's generation grew up with that fear.

I also got that it was the tumor, not rampant promiscuity, that caused Olga's erratic behavior. My take was that she really loved Eric, but was driven to impulsive and rash behavior by her illness, which was not suspected until the very end. (I've had personal experience with undiagnosed conditions causing erratic behavior.)

[–] missyamerica18 17 years ago

Olga does indeed start to behave differently due to the tumor. That is the tragedy of this story. She really does love Eric but the tumor (along with a nutty mother)begin to change her perception of the world.

[–] te_hartog 17 years ago

I think he died of his overweight in combination with heart failure. In the novel, it is said that Olga's mother "killed him with patience" by feeding him so much unhealthy food when he was on a diet

[–] Cianeto 16 years ago

Colon cancer.

[–] tieman64 16 years ago

They don't say in the film. Verhoeven seems to just want to make him die in the most nasty way possible. The guy literally looks like he's melting and leaking fluid.

"Rape is no laughing matter. Unless you're raping a clown."

[–] darth-viathan 15 years ago

He had cancer. It's a reoccuring theme in the film and cuases her phobia of getting it and dying.

It likley effected his brain as with his daughter he often forgot he had told the same joke over and over.

Though it had definatly gone to his liver as he has a sickningly yellow skintone on his deathbed which is a hallmark of liver cancer.

Great character. Wished he was my dad in some ways. :(

[–] Od1n 14 years ago

It's cholera.