Gendering Old and New Malay through Malaysian auteur filmmaker U-Wei Haji Saari's literary adaptations, The Arsonist (1995) and Swing My Swing High, My Darling (2004)
-
Altmetric Citations
Description
This paper discusses two adapted works of the Malay filmmaker U-Wei Haji Saari (b 1954): Kaki Bakar (The Arsonist, 1995), from William Faulkner's short story 'Barn Burning' and Buai Laju- Laju (Swing My Swing High, My Darling, 2004) from the novel by James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice. A close reading of these two films provides some insights into the filmmaker's thoughts on where Malay society is heading in terms of development, progress, social change and cultural values. The films...[Show more]
dc.contributor.author | Khoo, Gaik Cheng | |
---|---|---|
dc.date.accessioned | 2015-12-10T22:26:55Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 0967-828X | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1885/53967 | |
dc.description.abstract | This paper discusses two adapted works of the Malay filmmaker U-Wei Haji Saari (b 1954): Kaki Bakar (The Arsonist, 1995), from William Faulkner's short story 'Barn Burning' and Buai Laju- Laju (Swing My Swing High, My Darling, 2004) from the novel by James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice. A close reading of these two films provides some insights into the filmmaker's thoughts on where Malay society is heading in terms of development, progress, social change and cultural values. The films focus on the tension between the individual and society, which is heightened by state capitalism and the drive for economic success. Along the way, each film deconstructs the notion of the achievement and success of the New Economic Policy (NEP, 1971-90) and suggests that men and women manage and manifest their existential anxieties differently. The author argues that Kaki Bakar and Buai Laju-Laju highlight oppositional dreams of individual versus collective Malay identity through movement and stasis, gendering stasis as traditional and male (Old Malay) and upward mobility as female (New Malay). Finally, Buai Laju-Laju's morally ambiguous ending, in which the femme fatale triumphs over the anti-hero, subtly comments on the social and moral costs of a state capitalist ideology that privileges developmentalism and materialism over human ethics. | |
dc.publisher | University of London | |
dc.source | South East Asia Research | |
dc.subject | Keywords: capitalism; cultural identity; cultural tradition; ethics; gender role; ideology; mass media; morality; social change; Malaysia; Diospyros kaki Film noir; Malay subjectivity; Malaysian cinema; U-wei haji saari | |
dc.title | Gendering Old and New Malay through Malaysian auteur filmmaker U-Wei Haji Saari's literary adaptations, The Arsonist (1995) and Swing My Swing High, My Darling (2004) | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
local.description.notes | Imported from ARIES | |
local.identifier.citationvolume | 18 | |
dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
local.identifier.absfor | 190201 - Cinema Studies | |
local.identifier.absfor | 169901 - Gender Specific Studies | |
local.identifier.absfor | 169903 - Studies of Asian Society | |
local.identifier.ariespublication | f2965xPUB288 | |
local.type.status | Published Version | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Khoo, Gaik Cheng, College of Arts and Social Sciences, ANU | |
local.description.embargo | 2037-12-31 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.issue | 2 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage | 301 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage | 324 | |
local.identifier.doi | 10.5367/000000010791513157 | |
local.identifier.absseo | 970120 - Expanding Knowledge in Languages, Communication and Culture | |
dc.date.updated | 2020-11-15T07:19:26Z | |
local.identifier.scopusID | 2-s2.0-77953607057 | |
local.identifier.thomsonID | 000281640100005 | |
Collections | ANU Research Publications |
Download
File | Description | Size | Format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
01_Khoo_Gendering_Old_and_New_Malay_2010.pdf | 111.74 kB | Adobe PDF | Request a copy |
Items in Open Research are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Updated: 17 November 2022/ Responsible Officer: University Librarian/ Page Contact: Library Systems & Web Coordinator