De opkomst van het moderne medium cinema in de Ottomaanse hoofdstad Istanbul, 1896-1914

Abstract

The first two decades of cinema in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, 1896-1914 This study explores the development of cinema in Istanbul, starting from the first public shows in December 1896 till the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. This period marks the transformation of the medium from an entertaining technological novelty to the cinema as a fully recognised and valuable medium which could be applied for various purposes. In the beginning film shows were part of the existing forms of commercial entertainment in Istanbul which in general consisted of western forms of entertainment such as variety, theatre and circus, and of local or traditional forms of entertainment such as puppet theatre, story teller and Ottoman music and dance shows. The film shows were held in various venues such as cafes, coffee houses, theatres, parks, hotel lounges and schools. In this period there was hardly any local film production; almost all the material was imported from Europe. The films were of a very short duration (just a few minutes) and they demonstrated moving images without any linear storyline. The invention itself, the new apparatus cinematograph which could project moving images on a screen, was the main attraction. The shows were frequented by a very diverse public, from children to adults, from Muslims to Christians and Jews, from upper class to working class. From 1908 on, film shows were no longer part of other forms of entertainment. In this year the French firm Pathé introduced the concept of the so-called “Cinémathéâtre” which meant a show of film screenings only. This concept would lead to the emergence of movie theatres as we know them today. The moving pictures became longer and they told linear stories. The medium was not only used as a commercial form of entertainment, but one also began to use moving images in order to propagate certain ideological and political ideas. The attitude of the local authorities towards the new medium was ambiguous. On the one hand they were afraid of the physical and moral dangers of the medium, on the other hand they realised that the new medium could provide financial benefits by means of tax and could be used for their own purposes such as image building for the sultan or influencing the public opinion in times of war or during conflicts. So at the eve of the First World War, the medium was no longer just an amusing technological novelty anymore, but also an influential visual medium which could be used for propagandistic aims.