Was Sultan Abdülhamid II suspicious of the cinema? A study of cinema in the Hamidian era (1876–1908)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Due to Sultan Abdülhamid II’s authoritarian regime and his alleged suspicion of modern technologies, Turkish film historians have often viewed the Hamidian era as an obstacle to the development of cinema in Turkey. However, this article aims to move beyond the simplistic characterizations of Abdülhamid’s reign as mere despotism and paranoia, especially concerning cinema. It explores government regulations, censorship, and prohibitions to gain a deeper understanding of how the Hamidian regime perceived, regulated, and influenced the development of cinema in the Ottoman Empire. By analyzing the motivations and measures taken by the Hamidian regime, this article demonstrates that the regime not only attempted to control cinema’s perceived negative impacts on public safety, morality, and state policies but also used cinema for political, economic, and cultural purposes. It argues that while the Hamidian regime was aware of cinema’s potential risks, it also recognized that, under strict control, cinema could offer significant benefits.