On the 20th December 2011 a new Hollywood film was released throughout North America. It was a remake, a film based on another one, starring Hollywood stars such as Daniel Craig and Christopher Plummer and attracting a bit more medial attention than usual. The reason was that the film was released quite soon after its predecessor. More specifically, only two years had passed since the global success of the original Swedish film "Män Som Hatar Kvinnor", directed by Niels Arden Oplev, which was released in 2009.
As a result, ever since its announcement the remake with the title "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" triggered many discussions. People wondered why the world needed another American remake of a successful and critically acclaimed movie so quickly after its original release. Looking back, remakes have always been an integral part of the Hollywood film industry, which has been copying ideas from other film industries ever since its emergence in the beginning of the last century. European, Asian or even previous American films were remade whenever it seemed to be profitable and in this case it seemed very promising, given the great success of the movie outside the US. Basically, from the American perspective several reasons exist to justify a remake of a film, for example the updating of an old movie to present it to younger generations or the fact, like in this case, that a remake is allegedly “necessary” because people in the US do not like reading subtitles or listening to synchronized non-English movies. However, some people simply accuse Hollywood of desperately trying to show the world how to do it in a better way and hiding their lack of new ideas.
Such transnational remakes are still in progress and have been going on for decades, not only in the US but also worldwide. Bollywood copies American films, Hollywood borrows narratives from Europe and European film makers get their inspiration from American productions. It is evident that such contemporary transnational remakes are a worldwide phenomena increased by the globalization which enables people to share and trade cultural goods and ideas all over the globe.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Definitions
- Transnationalism
- The Remake
- Contemporary Transnational Remake
- What is Gender?
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - A Transnational Remake
- Characterization
- Lisbeth Salander
- Mikael Blomkvist
- Comparison of the Character Constellation
- Character Constellation in Män Som Hatar Kvinnor
- Character Constellation in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This bachelor thesis aims to demonstrate the significant differences in characterization between the original Swedish film Män Som Hatar Kvinnor and its American remake The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Through analyzing the behavior, appearance, and character development of the protagonists Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, the thesis argues that the remake's alterations fundamentally shift the viewer's perception of the characters and their relationship, particularly in regards to gender roles.
- Transnational remakes and their impact on cultural exchange
- Gender roles and their representation in film
- The role of characterization in shaping the audience's understanding of the narrative
- Comparison of the original and the remake, focusing on the character constellations and their differences
- The influence of cultural context on character portrayal
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides a brief overview of the context surrounding the release of the American remake The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and introduces the central argument of the thesis - the significant differences in character portrayal between the original and the remake.
The "Definitions" chapter explores key terms essential for understanding the analysis, including transnationalism, the concept of remakes, and the definition of gender and gender roles. The chapter aims to establish a framework for analyzing the film as a transnational remake and understanding the implications of character portrayals within a broader cultural context.
The following chapters focus on the analysis of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo as a transnational remake and delve into a detailed character analysis of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, highlighting the significant differences in their portrayal between the original and the remake. This analysis examines how the remake's changes impact the viewer's understanding of the characters' personalities, their relationship dynamics, and the overall representation of gender.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts explored in this thesis include transnational remakes, gender roles, characterization, film adaptation, comparative analysis, Män Som Hatar Kvinnor, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, Mikael Blomkvist, and cultural representation.
- Quote paper
- Tom Keller (Author), 2012, Contemporary Transnational Remakes. The Swedish "Män Som Hatar Kvinnor" (2009) and the Hollywood Production "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (2011), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/319486
