Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In the Gypsy films of the 1960s, the Yeşilçam melodrama repertoire—in which the main characters and themes relate to Gypsies and Gypsy culture—reinforces the imagery of Gypsies and Gypsy women through the visual narrative of dance and music. These images are primarily constructed as dancers performing in a Gypsy “style.” The continuing negative connotations of belly dancing, inherited from the empire, add to Gypsy films, creating a triple threat: belly dancing, being a Gypsy woman, and dancing as a Gypsy woman. This study aims to discuss how dance in the Gypsy style is constructed through visual narratives, what dynamics are employed in these films to portray the Gypsy female dancer alongside other elements of popular culture with their historical and contemporary meanings, the traces of bodily narratives reflected in the movie on social memory, and the content of this representation process. The primary source for this discussion is the analysis of Gypsy films produced in the 1960s, specifically focusing on their main characters, storylines, and themes. This study also examines the sources that contribute to the issue of “attitude” related to associating Gypsies with “Gypsy knowledge” and non-Gypsies in films, arguing that one of the most prominent sources is the Sulukule Entertainment Houses, and attempting to understand how conceptual interpretations and elements of imitation are internalized in films. Therefore, the study discusses entertainment houses, which occupied a significant position in the entertainment industry of the period, especially in music and dance. Furthermore, capturing the synchronized moments of the implicit relationship between fields such as the cinema industry, the music market, and entertainment environments is critical for understanding both the socio-cultural structure and political agenda of the time, as well as for interpreting the nature of the expanding productions in the entertainment industry, which forms the core experience of this study.
Source: DergiPark (Istanbul University)
Author: Girgin, Gonca
Institution: Istanbul Technical University
Language: English
Topic: Cinema History and Criticism
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4414933167
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