Ulysses' Gaze: In Pursuit Of The Eternal Now Amidst The Ruins Of The Balkans

Authors : Kemal Çelik

Pages : 28-44

Doi:10.33709/ictimaiyat.1316751

View : 120 | Download : 79

Publication Date : 2023-10-20

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :From the inception of cinema, the concept of time has been one of the most important issues in filmmaking. Unlike other art forms, cinema has the unique ability to manipulate time, allowing for techniques such as flashbacks and flashforwards. Many filmmakers have utilized these techniques in their works. However, some directors have approached the notion of time in a different way, capturing time as a transcendental instrument in their films. This understanding, referred to as the cinema of eternal now, is a product of filmmakers\' endeavor to touch upon the eternal within the realm of the mortal. In this study, the manifestations of this endeavor are examined through the film \"Ulysses\' Gaze.\" The film, which explores the century-long history of the Balkans through the lens of the Manakis Brothers\' early films, seeks to depict a non-linear quest for the eternal now. Angelopoulos, the director, rejects the chronological narrative of time and compresses it, aiming to reach a sort of atomic present. This can be seen as both the director\'s personal longing, pain, and sorrow in his own history, as well as his effort to resist the destruction and misery in the history of the Balkans.
Keywords : Theo Angelopoulos, Ulis\'in Bakışı, Aşkınlık, Ebedi Şimdi, Ebedi Şimdinin Sineması