Abstract:
Cartmell (2010) writes that “the screen makeover of a literary text self-consciously appeals primarily to women”, one of eight traits which she considers to be characteristic of an “adaptation genre”. Without subscribing to the concept of an adaptation genre, this article attempts to test the hypothesis that film adaptations tend to appeal to and be targeted at women more often than men. To do so, this article examines 234 cases of film adaptation in Indonesia, dating from 1927 to 2014. Focusing on the adaptations’ source novels, themes, and advertising media, this article classifies the adaptations based on their apparent target audience, as measured by their appeal to an ideal gender normative audience. Three categories of adaptations are identified: films targeted towards women, films targeted towards men, and (apparently) gender-neutral films. Films adaptations in Indonesia have most commonly appealed to and been targeted towards women, with the majority of adaptations being classified as romances and oriented towards marriage. This supports the hypothesis formulated by Cartmell.
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