Translating cinematic narratives: American films in cultural and historical context

Abstract

Cinema translates historical experience into collective memory through both film narratives and the preservation of cinematic objects. This study examines cultural translation between Hollywood and Yeşilçam through the Istanbul Cinema Museum and three film comparisons: Dracula and Drakula İstanbul’da; City Lights and Cafer Bey, İyi, Fakir ve Kibar; and The Adventures of Robin Hood and Vatan Kurtaran Aslan. Drawing on cultural translation, representation, and cultural memory, the analysis combines structured observations from three museum visits with comparative readings of narrative, characterization, setting, and symbolism. It distinguishes the museum’s institutional framing of cinematic heritage from the transformations identified within the films, without assuming a direct remake relationship in every pair. The comparisons identify localization through urban and religious imagery, the verbal expression of generosity in melodramatic comedy, and the historical framing of heroism. Museum displays provide a complementary perspective by situating the material traces of these productions within an account of national cinema. The article argues that cultural translation operates through both narrative reinterpretation and the recontextualization of popular cinema as heritage. It contributes to translation studies and film studies by explaining how transnational exchange can remain visible within national cinematic memory, while recognizing the limits of museum observation as evidence of adaptation pathways, audience reception, or state ideology.