A Generic Analysis of Turkish Social Realist Cinema: 1960-1965
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A GENERIC ANALYSIS OF TURKISH SOCIAL REALIST CINEMA: 1960-1965 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY ALKIM YALIN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE PROGRAM OF MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES SEPTEMBER 2017 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science/. Assist. Prof. Dr. Özgür Avcı Supervisor Examining Committee Members (first name belongs to the chairperson of the jury and the second name belongs to supervisor) Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan (METU, PADM) Assist. Prof. Özgür Avcı (METU, PADM) Prof. Dr. L. Doğan Tılıç (BaĢkent Üni., PRP) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Alkım YALIN Signature : iii ABSTRACT A GENERIC ANALYSIS OF TURKISH SOCIAL REALIST CINEMA: 1960-1965 Yalın, Alkım M.S., Department of Media and Cultural Studies Supervisor : Assist. Prof. Dr. Özgür Avcı September 2017, 142 pages This study is devoted to a generic analysis of social realist films made in Turkey between 1960 and 1965. This cinematic tendency emerged in the period following the coup of May 27th and started to fade away after 1965. Most notable filmmakers who contributed to social realist cinema of the period were Halit Refiğ, Ertem Göreç, Metin Erksan and Duygu Sağıroğlu. This study attempts to analyze a group of chosen social realist films, according to their common generic features both in terms of content and form, and to evaluate these films based on the concrete historical and social conditions of the period. At the end of the study, it is concluded that the so- called 'social-realist' movies in Turkish cinema cannot be considered as a genre; what was common to all these filmmakers, or the major reason behind the emergence of a wave of films in the early 1960s, was their common concern with and exclusive focus on the social issues of the period. Keywords: Turkish Cinema, Social Realism, Genre Analysis iv ÖZ TÜRKĠYE SĠNEMASINDA TOPLUMSAL GERÇEKÇĠLĠĞĠN TÜR ANALĠZĠ: 1960-1965 Yalın, Alkım Yüksek Lisans, Medya ve Kültürel ÇalıĢmalar Tez Yöneticisi : Yrd. Doç. Dr. Özgür Avcı Eylül 2017, 142 sayfa Bu çalıĢma Türkiye‟de 1960-1965 yılları arasında yapılan toplumsal gerçekçi filmlerin türsel analizine ayrılmıĢtır. Türk sinemasında bu eğilim 27 Mayıs darbesinin hemen ardından belirmiĢ ve 1965 yılının ardından kaybolmaya yüz tutmuĢtur. Dönemin toplumsal gerçekçi sinemasına katkıda bulunan yönetmenlerin baĢında Halit Refiğ, Ertem Göreç, Metin Erksan ve Duygu Sağıroğlu gelmektedir. Bu çalıĢma, toplumsal gerçekçi filmler arasından seçilen bir grup filmi hem içerik hem de biçim açısından ortak türsel özellikleri bağlamında analiz etmeyi ve bu filmleri dönemin somut tarihsel ve toplumsal koĢullarına dayanarak değerlendirmeyi hedeflemektedir. Bu çalıĢma sonucunda Türk sinemasında toplumsal gerçekçi olarak adlandırılan filmlerin bir tür oluĢturmadığı; bütün bu yönetmenlerin ortak özelliğinin, ya da 1960‟lı yıllarda böyle bir sinema eğiliminin ortaya çıkmasının temel nedeninin dönemin toplumsal meselelerine dair ortak ve özel bir ilgi olduğu sonucuna ulaĢılmıĢtır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Türk Sineması, Toplumsal Gerçekçilik, Tür Analizi v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Özgür Avcı. His insights and criticisms contributed to the development of this study and motivated me throughly. Without his guidance, support and patience, I would not be able to complete this study. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan not only for his helpful insights and advises from the very beginning of this study, but also for his for guidance and support throughout my graduate studies. I also would like to thank my examining committee member Prof. Dr. L. Doğan Tılıç for his criticisms and suggestions. I owe the deepest gratitude to my parents and my family, who have supported me and given me strength to complete this study. They have been there for me in the hardest of times. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................................................................................. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... vii CHAPTER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... vi 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUNGS OF THE STUDY ......................................... 8 2. 1. Artistic Form and Ideology .............................................................................. 8 2. 1.1. Art and Ideology ....................................................................................... 8 2.1.2. Form and Content ..................................................................................... 11 2.1.3. Ideology of Form ..................................................................................... 15 2.2. Genre Study and Cinema ................................................................................ 17 2.2.1 Why Does Genre Study Matter? ............................................................... 18 2.2.2 Cinema and Genres ................................................................................... 22 2.3. Understanding Realism and Social Realism ................................................... 25 2.3.1. What is Realism?...................................................................................... 26 2.3.2. Defining Social Realism .......................................................................... 30 3. POLITICS AND PRACTICE ................................................................................ 37 3.1. Politics and Practice ........................................................................................ 42 3.2. 1960 Coup d‟Etat and Social Realism ............................................................ 42 3.3. 1960s and Left Kemalism ............................................................................... 49 3.4. Social Realism and Social Criticism ............................................................... 51 4. CONTENT AND FORM ....................................................................................... 54 4.1. Content ............................................................................................................ 54 4.1.1. Themes and Issues.................................................................................... 54 4.1.1.1. Class Conflict and Working Class Struggle ...................................... 55 vii 4.1.1.2. Discontents of Modernisation and Urbanisation ............................... 63 4.1.1.3. Rural migration and Urbanization ..................................................... 67 4.1.1.4. Village Life ....................................................................................... 71 4.1.1.5. Concluding Remarks ......................................................................... 75 4.1.2. Characters ................................................................................................. 75 4.1.2.1. Working Classes ................................................................................ 78 4.1.2.2. Bourgeoisie ........................................................................................ 84 4.1.2.3 Urban Poor and New Urbanites ......................................................... 89 4.1.2.4. Peasants ............................................................................................. 94 4.1.2.5. Intellectuals and Students .................................................................. 99 4.1.2.6 Concluding Remarks ........................................................................ 105 4.2. Form And Style in Turkish Social Realist Cinema Of 1960s ....................... 106 4.2.1. Style in Social Realist Cinema ............................................................... 108 4.2.2. The Form in Social Realist Cinema ....................................................... 114 5. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 116 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 121 APPENDICES A. TRANSLATED MOVIE LINES ........................................................................ 128 B. TURKISH SUMMARY / TÜRKÇE ÖZET ........................................................ 130 C. TEZ FOTOKOPĠSĠ ĠZĠN FORMU ....................................................................