Historical Basis of the Perceptions towards Ski Sports and Uludağ in Turkey: Semiotic Analysis of the film Fire on the Snowy Mountain

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the historical basis of the perception in Turkey towards Uludağ and the sport of skiing. In this context, a semiotic examination of the movie called Karlı Dağdaki Ateş (Fire on the Snowy Mountain), one of the most important Yeşilçam Films in Uludağ, has been conducted. For the analysis, firstly, the preliminary examination of the film was made and five scenes were identified in which strong messages about Uludağ and ski sports were reflected. Then, the determined scenes were examined within the framework of Roland Barthes' semiotic approach. In this context, the signifiers in the relevant scenes were evaluated in the context of sign-signified and denotation-connotation; in other words, the scenes and dialogues in the film and their connotations within the framework of Uludağ image and skiing perception were examined. According to the findings, factors such as "romantic upper-class destination" and "fascinating, mystical ski resort" become prominent in terms of the historical foundations of Uludağ image. In terms of the historical foundations of the skiing sports perception, the perception of difficult, dangerous (especially for women, the elderly, and overweight) and elitist become prominent. Also, in some scenes, there are reflections that skiing is enjoyable and prestigious. The comparisons made within the scope of the current literature have revealed that these perceptions remain largely in present.