카자흐스탄 최초의 무성영화 <켈린>에 재현된 고대 튀르크 전통과 텡그리(Tengri) 신앙

Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing Ermek Tursynov’s film through the category of ancient Turkish history and tradition, primitive faith and tengri belief, and the representation of a belief in the coexistence of life in order to examine how the film works as a driving force for the recovery of Kazakhstan’s identity in the post-Soviet era. It is one of the most important current trends of Kazakhstan’s film industry to revive the spiritual and cultural heritage of Central Asian mythology and folk beliefs, which had been forbidden for the Soviet period. From this perspective it is clear that the revival of the heritage of Central Asia will be a valuable subject. In this film, first of all, an attention should be paid to the structure of mise en scene, of which the director takes advantage to represent his confidence in the spirit and power of the Turks. He presents the relationship between nature and humans through continuous close-up shots, creates the atmosphere of animistic world through the bird’s eye view, and establishes an aura of shamanism through the eyes of wolves and falcons, the totems of the Turks. Of all things, we should take the fact that is a silent film into consideration, in which appears no difference between the language of human and the sounds of animals. These are to reflect the intention of the director, who tries to highlight the world that animals and humans live in harmony with each other. is not a simple film which reproduces the ancient customs of the Turks, but a film with strong messages. What the director Ermek Tursynov tries to reestablish in this film is new values for the future of Kazakhstan since he believes that it is possible for the present and the future generations of Kazakhstan recovering their national identity only when they are able to keep the memories of the past.