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The Dede Korkut stories are considered among the most fundamental works by many researchers studying Turkish culture. The stories are marked by the repercussions of the cultural elements from varying periods in social life, the admittance and refutation by all the strata of the society from heroes to lower classes, and the included motifs, functions and ideological elements. Having achieved a wide popularity especially in a broad geographical area housing the Turkic people, Dede Korkut is a collection of stories that requires a textual analysis and interpretation as well as an examination by various social sciences and cultural studies owing to its multi-dimensional nature providing data to various disciplines. This article aims to analyse the movie Dədə Qorqud filmed in 1975 in Soviet Azerbaijan and screened in Soviet movie theatres after translated into Russian as Свет погасших костров (The Light of Quenched Hearths) in 1977. Adapted and directed by Tofig Taghizade and written by Anar Rızayev, the movie derives from the script, target audience, the actors and the artistic and political inclinations of the period although it inspires from the book Dede Korkut at large. Recently, there has been an increase in the performing arts and, in particular, movies that originate from the Dede Korkut stories. As the main focus of this study, the movie offers new perspectives to researchers with regard to the analysis of an era since it reflects the cultural policy and ideology of the USSR. We are of the opinion that this paper will contribute to the literature for the folklore studies in Turkey mainly focus on textual analyses and the researches on Turkish folk culture and art in the USSR have received limited interest. This article evaluates the publication process of Dede Korkut in the USSR as well as the cultural policy of the USSR and its impact on the development and transformation of cinema. In this sense, the following study endeavours to expand on the reflections of Soviet ideology in movies by discussing the approaches towards the Dede Korkut stories. After all, the script of the movie was devised not as a mere adaptation but to serve the long-lasting propagandistic activities of the Soviets. Indeed, the analyses under this study indicate that the contents altered during the adaptation process or fabricated in the movie script were used with success in the transmission of the ideological messages of the USSR to the society. The adaptation of the Dede Korkut stories bears significance for applied folklore studies. Ideological ends aside, it can be claimed that the movie supports the representation of the cultural codes and motifs inherent to the Dede Korkut stories. In this respect, further studies by varying disciplines will help to reveal the sphere of influence of the movie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]