Screening of Asta Nielsen Films in Istanbul

Oya KASAP ORTAKLAN

Article Details

Screening of Asta Nielsen Films in Istanbul

Authors:

Oya KASAP ORTAKLAN

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Literature

Journal:

Litera: Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies 2022 Vol.32 Issue 1, pp.295-316

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

5/2022

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2000516085

Frequency:

Monthly

eISSN:

2602-2117

Abstract:

 

Audiences in Ottoman Istanbul first had the opportunity to watch films in 1896, after the first public film screenings circulated in the world. As a result of the implications of  the  Ottoman–German  alliance  on  cultural  life  during  World  War  I,  documentary  and  feature-length  films  that  were  produced  in  and  about  the  German  Empire,  including  the  films  of  Asta  Nielsen,  were  screened  at  movie  theaters  in  Istanbul.  Although  there  are  studies  which  deal  with  the  screening  of  Asta  Nielsen  films  in  Europe and some parts of Asia, no study has been conducted yet on the prevalence and recognition of these films in the Ottoman Empire. This article, which aims to fill this  gap,  focuses  on  the  reception  of  Asta  Nielsen’s  female  characters  through  her  two prominent films. The article evaluates the interest shown in and the comments made  about  Nielsen’s  films,  as  she  represented  a  new  type  of  woman  in  the  film  community  during  her  time.  This  article  also  discussed  and  problematizes  female  roles  and  the  historical  status  of  female  spectators  in  Istanbul  in  relation  to  these female  images.  The  influence  of  the  images  of  modern  women  portrayed  by  Asta  Nielsen  on  female  spectators  at  a  time  when  the  public  presence  and  visibility  of  women  began  to  be  discussed  in  the  Ottoman  Empire  and  the  experience  of  female spectators who went to the movies at Péra in relation to these images give important clues about the place of cinema in the process of secularization. Therefore, the article contributes to the monography of Asta Nielsen and Ottoman/German cinema and cultural history with a focus on the screening and reception of Asta Nielsen films at Péra.

Article Details

Screening of Asta Nielsen Films in Istanbul

Authors: Oya KASAP ORTAKLAN

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Literature

Journal: Litera: Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies 2022 Vol.32 Issue 1, pp.295-316

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 5/2022

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2000516085

Frequency: Monthly

eISSN: 2602-2117

Issues

Authors:

Oya KASAP ORTAKLAN

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Literature

Journal:

Litera: Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies 2022 Vol.32 Issue 1, pp.295-316

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

5/2022

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2000516085

Frequency:

Monthly

eISSN:

2602-2117