Patched Narratives: Yeşilçam Melodramas within the Social Realist Structure of the 1960s
Nigar ZulfugarovaTurkish cinema presents a structure in which various narrative patterns emerge distinctively across different periods. These narratives reflect the social and cultural conditions of their time while also allowing for ideological readings. From this perspective, the impact of Yeşilçam melodramas on social life is far from coincidental. This raises the following question: Did society influence Yeşilçam to this extent, or did the narrative patterns in these melodramas shape the values of the period? This creates an intertwined, interdependent relationship. Regardless, it is crucial to highlight how identity-affirming discourses are constructed through specific narratives in Yeşilçam melodramas. Research addressing these questions reveals that melodramas establish narratives around the conflict between good and evil and blend oppositions between the modern and the traditional, as well as class-based divisions, within these discourses. In this context, films produced in the 1960s display a deviation-a unique pattern. However, the extent to which this deviation diverges from or adheres to melodramatic conventions remains ambiguous. In this study, four films from the 1960s The Guilty Among Us (Suçlular Aramızda), Beyond the Nights (Gecelerin Ötesi), Bus Passengers (Otobüs Yolcuları), and Birds of Exile (Gurbet Kuşları)- are analyzed as case studies. The analysis examines how these films convey a socially realistic discourse within the ideological structure of their period. This analysis evaluates narrative patterns commonly found in melodramatic storytelling while focusing on specific concepts that reflect the social structure of the time. These include class conflicts, labor forms, the phenomenon of migration , and gender codes. The findings of this study indicate that melodramatic storytelling persisted in the socially realistic films of the 1960s. The individual-centered stories in these films do not inherently convey a sense of social awareness.
Yamalı Anlatılar: Altmışlı Yılların Toplumsal Gerçekçi Yapısı Ekseninde Yeşilçam Melodramları
Nigar ZulfugarovaTürkiye sineması; farklı dönemler özelinde, çeşitli anlatı kalıplarının belirginleştiği yapısıyla her daim farklı okumalara, geçmişe bugünün gözünden bakarak, yeniden yorumlamaya olanak tanımaktadır. Bu anlatılar, dönemin toplumsal yapısından, kültürel koşullarından izler taşıdığı gibi aynı zamanda ideolojik okumalara müsaittir. Düşünce ekseni bu şekilde çerçevelendiğinde Yeşilçam melodramlarının toplumsal yaşamda bıraktığı etki rastlantısal değildir. Toplum mu Yeşilçam’dan bu kadar etkilendi yoksa bu melodramlardaki anlatı kalıpları mı o dönemdeki değerleri şekillendirdi diye düşünüldüğünde birbiriyle iç içe geçmiş, bağıntılı bir yapıdan söz edilebilir. Her halükârda, sorgulanması gereken noktalardan biri de ‘biz’ kimliğini öne çıkaran söylemlerin Yeşilçam melodramlarında hangi anlatılar aracılığıyla kurulduğudur. Bu sorulara yanıt arayan araştırmalar, melodramların iyi ve kötü çatışmaları üzerinden bir anlatı kurduğunu, modern ile geleneksel arasındaki karşıtlığı ve sınıfsal çatışmaları/ zıtlıkları da bu söylemlerin içinde erittiğini göstermektedir. Bu bilgiler ekseninde; altmışlı yıllarda çekilen filmlerde bir sapma, farklı bir örüntü görülmektedir. Ancak bu sapmanın ne derece melodram kalıplarından uzaklaştığı veya yaklaştığı belirsizdir. Bu çalışmada, altmışlı yıllarda çekilen dört film; Suçlular Aramızda, Gecelerin Ötesi, Otobüs Yolcuları ve Gurbet Kuşları örneklem olarak ele alınmakta olup filmlerin dönemin ideolojik yapısı çerçevesinde toplumsal gerçekçi söylemi yansıtma biçimleri incelenmektedir. Bu filmler incelenirken melodramatik anlatıda sıkça rastlanılan kalıplar değerlendirilmekte ve dönemin toplumsal yapısını da göz önüne seren belirli kavramlara odaklanılmaktadır. Sınıfsal çatışmalar, emek biçimleri, göç olgusu, toplumsal cinsiyet kodları bunlardan birkaçıdır. İncelemenin sonucunda ortaya çıkan veriler; melodramatik anlatının, altmışlı yılların toplumsal gerçekçi filmlerinde de sürdüğünü, filmlerde bireyler üzerinden kurulan hikâyelerin toplumsal bir bilinçlenme durumuna işaret etmediğini göstermektedir. Melodramatik ögelerin sıklığı, toplumsal gerçekçi yanının çok önündedir. Mağdur kahramanlar üzerinden kurulan anlatılar, toplumsal bir mağduriyetin, ezilmenin izlerini taşır ama bu karakterler bilinçli bir aydınlanma yaşamış değildir. Bir bocalama hali içinde, kendi değer yargılarının peşinde görünürler. Altmışlı yılların toplumsal gerçekçi söylemi etrafında, akımın örneği olarak kabul gören bu filmlerin çözümsüzlüğü de aslında bir sonuca işarettir. Sığınılan sadece geçmiş değildir, kaçılmaya çalışılan büyük bir oranda belirsiz kılınan bir gelecek düşüncesidir.
When tracing the roots of melodramatic narratives in Turkish cinema, a familiar term often comes to mind: Yeşilçam melodrams. Extensive research over the years has demonstrated that these melodramas served as narratives of escape in response to the socio-political events of their time, often attempting to convey specific ideological perspectives through exaggerated discourses. Class conflicts are portrayed through the values attributed to good and evil, while perceptions of wealth and poverty are shaped accordingly. These values are examined through the struggle between the modern and the traditional, with everyday practices symbolizing tradition being elevated. The portrayal of labor, family, and women within the conflict between modernity and tradition is intentional. The narratives use negative characters to signify goodness and purity. In each scenario where values are thought to have been compromised under the guise of modernity, virtue gains its strength from victimhood. Innocence is glorified as the purest value and is invariably rewarded; however, this reward process is shaped by gender codes. An innocent woman is easily deceived, loses her values in adapting to modernity, and a male figure, portrayed as a victim, either rescues her or exacts his revenge. Within such a narrative structure, identifying a social dimension is both easy and difficult.
This study limits its historical scope to the 1960s, enabling a closer examination of the melodramas of that era. The socially realistic discourse present in the 1960s Turkish cinema can thus be re-evaluated and analyzed in relation to social events and political processes. This study examines four films from this period-Bus Passengers (Otobüs Yolcuları), The Guilty Among Us (Suçlular Aramızda), Birds of Exile (Gurbet Kuşları), and Beyond the Nights (Gecelerin Ötesi) -through this perspective, exploring how these films reflect social awareness. This analysis investigates the extent to which the films remain melodramatic by examining the discourses provided by melodramatic narratives.
The selected films are significant in that they offer a clearer view of specific concepts such as migration, labor, young intellectuals, theft, class conflicts, and patriarchal discourse. These films highlight notable insights when contrasted with melodramatic narratives. They are also crucial for establishing oppositions like East versus West, modern versus traditional, good versus evil, and rich versus poor. If the 1960s indeed signify a narrative shift, this transformation should be most visible in how these concepts are narrated. Despite carrying ideological perspectives, the persistence of familiar narrative patterns remains a question. If the intellectual profile came to the fore in the 1960s, to what extent was this intellectual aware? How does social awareness reflect their relationships and their bonds with the women they love? What is this figure regarded as personal versus societal values? What is their relationship to labor processes? Have they developed class consciousness, or do they merely perpetuate familiar discourse under the guise of intellectualism? Exploring these questions reveals the melodramatic underpinnings of these films, exposing the ambiguous yet artificial impressions left by the narratives. This study pursues the specter of melodrama in 1960s films, attempting to re-read these stories using substantial data that indicates both the presence and absence of melodramatic elements.
The findings reveal that in these films, melodramatic elements often overshadow socially realistic aspects. Narratives centered on victimized heroes carry traces of social victimization and oppression, yet these characters do not achieve conscious enlightenment. Instead, they appear confused, with their value judgments deriving strength from the aforementioned oppositions. There is no class awareness; individual conflicts and competition prevail over collective action. These characters seem to seek revenge on past experiences, continually returning to that past when engaging in social situations.
Analyzing these films draws parallels between today’s unresolved narratives and those of the past, connecting present and past in local cinema, known for its middleclass stories and individual-focused narratives. What is avoided? Perhaps this avoidance itself represents a form of resolution. Each unresolved situation may, in its own way, signify a conclusion. The unresolved nature of these films, accepted as examples of the socially realistic movement of the 1960s, also points to a conclusion: the characters are not just seeking refuge in the past but grappling with an uncertain future they are attempting to escape.
