Gender Portrayal on Comedy Cinema in Indonesia

Gender
 Portrayal
 on
 
 
Comedy
 Cinema
 in
 Indonesia
 
Lala
 Palupi
 Santyaputri
 
Lecturer
 in
 University
 of
 Pelita
 Harapan
 

PhD
 Candidate
 at
 the
 Bandung
 Institute
 of
 Technology
 


 

 
Asian
 Cinema
 Studies
 Society
 Conference
 2012

 
University
 of
 Hong
 Kong,
 16-­‐20
 March
 2012
 

Introduction
 
¤  A
 media
 culture
 in
 which
 images,
 sounds,
 and

 spectacles
 help
 
produce
  the
  fabric
  of
  everyday
  life,
  dominating
  leisure
  time,
 
shaping
 political
 views
 and
 social
 behavior
 and

 providing
 the
 
materials
 out
 of
 which
 people
 forge
 their
 very
 identities.
 A
 :ilm
 
can
  help
  us
  to
  understand

  what
  is
  going
  on
  in
  contemporary
 
societies
 and
 cultures…(Kellner,
 D.,
 1995)
 

¤  It
 is
 at
 once
 read
 the

 discourses
 and
 cultural
 developments
 
that
 occurred
 in
 Indonesia.
 Discourse
 and
 culture,
 and
 read
 
between
 the
 lines
 in
 the

 Qilm
 through
 its
 visual
 
language.
 Therefore
 the
 visual
 language
 is
 very
 important
 on
 
Qilm.
 Each
 element
 of
 the

 Qilm
 to
 support
 the
 visual
 language,
 
these
 elements
 consist
 of:
 Script
 /
 Screenplay,
 Cast,
 Director,
 
Actor/Actress,
 Property,
 Planning

 and
 the
 
Spectator.
 Important
 aspect
 of
 this
 arrangement
 consists
 of
 
makeup,
 fashion,
 lighting,
 and
 sound.
 

Gender

 Differences
 as
 
 
Visual
 Objects
 
 

¤  Masculinities
 and
 Femininities
 as
 objects
 of
 visual
 in
 the
 
cinema,

 is
 often
 become
 an
 object
 of
 interest
 in
 a
 movie.
 As
 
objects,
 they
 are
 receiving
 treatment
 visits,
 value,
 and
 
appreciation
 in
 a
 variety
 of
 media
 discourse
 context.
 
 
¤  Visualization
 of
 gender
 in
 media
 characterized
 by
 
stereotyping
 and
 as
 commodiQication
 in
 a
 media.
 This
 
discourse
 exists
 in
 various
 forms
 of
 mass
 media,
 ranging
 
from
 fairy
 tales
 and
 folklore,
 to
 the
 magazine,
 advertising
 
and
 feature
 Qilms.
 

Table
 1.
 Development
 of
 the
 Qilm
 in
 Indonesia,
 (2006)
 Gayus
 Siagian
 

1926-1942!
Birth &
Developme
nt Era!

1942!
Verbal
Movies !

1942-1945!
Japanese
Era!

1945-1949!
Transition
Era!

1950!
Birth of
National
Production!

1955-1969!
Civil War
and New
Order!


 

1969-1998!
New Order
Era!

1999present!
Reformatio
n & Young
Director
Era!

¤  Comedy
 
 genre
 on
 cinema
 production
 parallel
 with
 the
 
national
 cinema
 development
 according
 to
 Eric
 Sasono
 
(2007).
 
¤  In
 the
 era
 of
 1979-­‐1994
 comedy
 genre
 in
 cinema
 production
 
is
 23,4
 %
 out
 from
 national
 production
 in
 every
 genre.
 (JB
 
Kristanto,
 Katalog
 Film
 Indonesia,
 194)
 

¤  In
 Indonesia
 comedian
 world
 is
 dominated
 by
 a
 group
 
comedy.
 And
 many
 of
 that
 group
 member
 is
 male.
 
¤ 
 Warkop
 Qilm
 comedian
 Indonesia
 is
 considered
 to
 represent
 
an
 exists
 representation
 because
 of
 its
 presence
 in
 the
 
period
 for
 15
 years.
 And
 when
 the
 Qilm
 fell
 fallen
 in
 
Indonesia
 1990-­‐2000
 Warkop
 still
 has
 its
 own
 place
 in
 the
 
Indonesian
 moviegoers.
 
¤  Warkop
 DKI
 movie
 has
 been
 chooses
 as
 a
 subject
 of
 research
 
because
 this
 comedian
 group
 is
 produced
 33
 Qilm
 since
 
1979-­‐1994
 (15yrs)
 and
 29
 Qilms
 is
 considering
 as
 
blockbusters
 by
 PerQini
 (Indonesian
 National
 Film
 
Asociation)
 

Warkop
 Dono
 Kasino
 Indro
 
Warkop
 or
 before
 Warkop
 Geronimo,
 is
 a
 comedy
 group
 formed
 
by
 Nanu
 (Nanu
 Mulyono
 real
 name),
 Rudy
 (Rudi
 
Badil),
 Dono
 (Wahjoe
 Sardono),
 Kasino
 (Kasino
 
Hadiwibowo)
 and
 Indro
 (Indrodjojo
 Kusumonegoro).
 
 

 
Warkop
 considered
 to
 represent
 the
 people
 of
 Indonesia
 with
 a
 
different
 cultural
 background
 of
 the
 tribe.
 
Warkop
 DKI
 is
 a
 comedy
 group
 that
 has
 the
 prime
 
 time
 
of
 the
 NewOrder
 era
 the
 years1979-­‐1994.
 Group
 originally
 starte
d
 as
 a
 radio
 comedy
 and
 develops
 into
 the
 cinema.
 
 
Badil,
 Rudy
 &
 Indro
 Warkop.
 (2010).
 Main-­‐Main
 Jadi
 Bukan
 Main.
 

Gender
 Stereotypes
 on
 
 
Comedy
 Cinema
 
¤  Gender
 is
 selected
 as
 the
 artist's
 companion
 has
 a
 certain
 
stereotype.
 There
 are
 several
 techniques
 used
 in
 the
 
shooting
 that
 took
 the
 charge
 that
 it
 is
 sexist.
 A
 technique
 
often
 used
 is
 cutting
 -­‐
 showing
 separate
 parts
 of
 the
 gender
 
differences
 -­‐
 for
 example,
 his
 legs,
 on
 his
 own.
 This
 suggests
 
that
 the
 difference
 is
 entirely
 separate
 to
 the
 mind,
 and
 if
 he
 
looks
 better
 and
 it's
 just
 a
 foot
 is
 the
 most
 important.
 

¤  In
 the
 table
 Tudor
 1973,
 135
 in
 the
 book
 An
 introduction
 of
 
Film
 Studies
 by
 Jill
 Nemmes,
 Comedy
 genre
 comparable
 in
 
horror
 and
 thriller
 genre
 is
 in
 the
 process
 enter
 the
 criteria
 
Intended
 effect
 or
 effects
 of
 the
 element
 of
 intent
 is
 expected
 
to
 produce
 humor
 in
 general.
 In
 Indonesia
 comedy
 Qilm
 
starring
 men,
 women
 never
 missed
 his
 presence
 as
 a
 movie
 
player.
 
¤  In
 Indonesia,
 most
 of
 theme
 the
 comedy
 Qilm
 is
 musical
 
comedy
 and
 satire
 comedy
 that
 can
 be
 distinguished
 as
 
sarcastic.
 

Humor
 of
 linguistic
 terms
1.  The
 theory
 of
 liberation,
 that
 is
 nothing
 but
 a
 
joke
 emotional
 trickery
 that
 seems
 threatening
 but
 it
 was
 
not
 nothing
 
2.  The
 theory
 of
 con3lict,
 which
 speciQies
 the
 pressure
 on
 the
 
implications
 of
 treatment
 between
 the
 two
 conQlicting
 
impulse,
 and
 
 
3.  Lack
 of
 harmony
 theory,
 namely
 the
 existence
 of
 two
 
meanings
 or
 interpretations
 are
 not
 the
 same
 and
 
combined
 in
 a
 complex
 combination
 of
 meaning.
 

Male
 Gaze
 
¤  Women
  do
  not
  just
  see
  themselves
  as
  men
  see
  them,
  but
  are
 
encouraged
  to
  enjoy
  their
  sexuality
  through
  the
  eyes
  of
 
men.
 (Janice
 Winship,
 Sexuality
 for
 Sale,
 1980).
 This
 applies
 also
 
to
  the
  roles
  of
  women
  in
  Indonesia’s
  Comedy
  Cinema.
  A
 
dominant
 masculine
 image
 that
 appears
 on
 the
 actor
 portrayed
 
women
  should
  always
  look
  stunning,
  especially
  when
  she
  only
 
appeared
 as
 an
 supporting
 actress.
 
¤  Men
  act
  and
  women
  appear.
  Men
  look
  at
  women.
  Women
  watch
 
themselves
  being
  looked
  at.
  This
  determines
  not
  only
  most
 
relations
  between
  men
  and
  women
  but
  also
  the
  relation
  of
 
women
  to
  themselves.
  The
  surveyor
  of
  women
  in
  herself
  is
 
male:
 the
 surveyed
 female.
 Thus
 she
 turns
 herself
 into
 an
 object
 
and
 most
 particularly
 an
 object
 of
 vision:
 a
 sight.
 (John
 Berger’s.
 
Ways
 of
 Seeing,
 1972)
 

¤  Laura
 Mulvey
 took
 this
 concept
 further
 in
 what’s
 become
 a
 
well-­‐known
 work
 of
 psychoanalytic
 Qilm
 theory
 in
 her
 essay,
 
“Visual
 Pleasure
 and
 Narrative
 Cinema.”
 In
 talking
 about
 the
 
way
 narrative
 Qilm
 reinforces
 the
 gender
 of
 the
 Qilm’s
 viewer
 
using
 a
 sequence
 of
 looks.
 
¤  In
 a
 world
 ordered
 by
 sexual
 imbalance,
 pleasure
 in
 looking
 
has
 been
 split
 between
 active/male
 and
 passive/female.
 The
 
determining
 male
 gaze
 projects
 its
 phantasy
 on
 to
 the
 female
 
:igure
 that
 is
 styled
 accordingly.
 In
 their
 traditional
 
exhibitionist
 role
 women
 are
 simultaneously
 looked
 at
 and
 
displayed,
 with
 their
 appearance
 coded
 for
 strong
 visual
 and
 
erotic
 impact
 so
 that
 they
 can
 be
 said
 to
 connote
 to-­‐be-­‐looked-­‐
at-­‐ness.
 Woman
 displayed,
 as
 sexual
 object
 is
 the
 lit-­‐motif
 of
 
erotic
 spectacle:
 from
 pin-­‐ups
 to
 strip
 tease,
 from
 Ziegfeld
 to
 
Busby
 Berkeley
 she
 holds
 the
 look,
 plays
 to
 and
 signi:ies
 male
 
desire.
 

Table.
 3.
 Gendered
 Spectatorial
 Positioning
 (Tseelon
 and
 Kaiser
 
1992)
 from
 Tseelon
 (1995).
 P
 68
 

•  Male
 Gaze
 

•  Female
 Gaze
 

•  Undimensional
 

•  Complex
 

•  Posing
 for
 male
 audience;
 aware
 of
 

•  Self
 absorbed;
 not
 self-­‐conscious;
 

audience
 
•  Glamorized,
 idealized,
 timeless
 

oblivious
 to
 audience
 
•  Variable;
 both
 beautiful
 and
 plain,
 
changing
 and
 aging,
 contextualized
 

•  Accessible
 

•  Unavailable
 

•  Primarily
 an
 object
 of
 desired
 

•  A
 range
 of
 role
 

•  DeQined
 by,
 through,
 for
 men
 

•  Independent
 existence
 beyond
 and
 
outside
 male
 discourse
 

•  Pleasure
 in
 being
 a
 sexual
 object
 

•  Pleasure
 in
 sexuality
 and
 
autoeroticism
 

Modes
 of
 Pleasure
 
Male
 Gaze
 

Female
 Gaze
 

Objectifying,
 fetishing
 

Narcissistic
 identiQication
 

Voyeuristic
 pleasure
 at
 a
 distance
 

Pleasure
 in
 closeness
 

Masculine
 Representation
 in
 Film
 Comedy
 
Cornell
 (1995)
 provided
 a
 useful
 breakdown
 of
 three
 different
 types
 of
 masculinities
 
that
 are
 present
 in
 modern
 Western
 Culture.
 They
 are
 hegemonic
 masculinity,
 
conservative
 masculinity,
 and
 subordinated
 masculinity.
 
¤  Hegemonic
  masculinity
  is
  based
  on
  the
  political
  idea
  of
  hegemony
  (Gramsci,
 
1985),
 which
 contends
 that
 the
 dominant
 culture
 in
 any
 society
 is
 based
 on
 the
 
values
 of
 the
 ruling
 class.
 Because
 in
 most
 societies
 across
 time
 and
 space,
 man
 
have
  tended
  to
  have
  a
  unequally
  large
  share
  of
  political
  and
  economic
  power,
 
their
  values
  are
  likely
  to
  have
  been
  more
  culturally
  inQluential
  than
  have
  those
  of
 
woman.
 This
 category
 refers
 to
 masculinity
 that
 is
 intended
 to
 dominate
 (either
 
men
 dominating
 women,
 or
 men
 dominating
 other
 men).
 
¤  Conservative
 masculinity,
 Cornell
 used
 the
 stereotypes
 of
 the
 “New
 man”
 as
 an
 
example
 of
 conservative
 masculinity.
 The
 “New
 man”
 was
 a
 1980s
 cultural
 icon
 
that
 represented
 notions
 of
 changing
 masculinities,
 moving
 from
 the
 hegemonic
 
virtues
  of
  toughness
  and
  strength
  to
  a
  sensitive,
  nurturing
  ideal,
  embodied
  by
 
images
 of
 men
 engaged
 in
 child
 care
 or
 overt
 displays
 of
 emotion.
 
¤  Subordinated
 masculinity
 is
 a
 kind
 of
 alternative
 or
 outcast
 masculinity
 that
 is
 
generally
 seen
 as
 negative.
 Trans
 images
 or
 homosexual
 or
 drag
 queen
 have
 been
 
the
  subjects
  of
  derision
  or
  presented
  as
  a
  problem
  for
  straight
  men
  to
  solve.
  This
 
is
 represent
 underclass
 or
 trailer
 class
 stereotype.

¤  Laraine
 Porter
 accused
 a
 question
 of
 humor
 that
 uses
 gender
 
stereotypes.
 If
 femininity
 is
 a
 perverse
 deviation
 from
 a
 
masculinity
 understood
 to
 be
 the
 norm,
 is
 the
 breast
 an
 
inherently
 humor
 object?
 Are
 overweight
 bosomy
 ladies
 
intrinsically
 funny
 as
 a
 parody
 of
 heterosexual
 desire?
 
 

 Porter,
 Laraine,
 ‘Tarts,
 Tampons
 and
 Tyrants:
 Women
 and
 
representation
 in
 British
 comedy’,
 
 Because
 I
 Tell
 a
 Joke
 or
 
Two:
 Comedy,
 Politics
 and
 Social
 Difference,
 ed.
 Stephen
 
Wagg
 (London:
 Routledge,
 1998)
 

Type
 of
 Femininity
 in
 
 
Comedy
 Cinema
 
 
¤  The
 Slender
 Woman
 when
 the
 accessories
 of
 female
 
attractiveness
 and
 femininity,
 mini
 skirt
 and
 the
 large
 breasts
 
are
 denuded
 of
 both
 their
 appeal
 and
 their
 functionality,
 “they
 
become
 obsolete,
 parody
 and
 repulsive
 to
 the
 male”.
 
 
¤  The
 Impersonated
 Menopausal
 Woman
 is
 funny
 because
 her
 
increased
 sexual
 appetite
 and
 decreasing
 sexual
 appeal,
 
concurrent
 with
 the
 failing
 virility
 of
 her
 male
 opposite,
 poses
 a
 
threat
 to
 male
 authority
 and
 violates
 the
 principle
 that
 female
 
sexuality
 is
 a
 function
 of
 male
 desire.
 
 
¤  The
 Overweight
 Ladies.
 According
 to
 Sue
 Thorman
 called
 
Dysfunctional
 Bodies.
 This
 become
 parody
 and
 funny
 because
 
they
 tended
 to
 be
 slapstick
 victim.
 

¤  The
 impersonated
 menopausal
 woman
 is
 funny
 because
 her
 
increased
 sexual
 appetite
 and
 decreasing
 sexual
 appeal,
 
concurrent
 with
 the
 failing
 virility
 of
 her
 male
 opposite,
 
poses
 a
 threat
 to
 male
 authority
 and
 violates
 the
 principle
 
that
 female
 sexuality
 is
 a
 function
 of
 male
 desire.
 
 
¤  In
 consequence,
 when
 the
 accessories
 of
 female
 
attractiveness
 and
 femininity,
 mini
 skirt
 and
 the
 large
 
breasts
 are
 denuded
 of
 both
 their
 appeal
 and
 their
 
functionality,
 they
 become
 obsolete,
 parody
 and
 repulsive
 to
 
the
 male.
 


 Conclusions
 
¤  The
 portrayal
 of
 humor
 in
 Indonesia,
 especially
 cinema
 
comedy
 that
 the
 image
 is
 often
 created
 and
 in
 the
 comedy
 
genre,
 portrayal
 of
 gender
 has
 different
 symbols.
 
 
¤  The
 world
 will
 still
 sexist
 even
 without
 the
 mass
 media,
 but
 
media
 opens
 new
 doors
 for
 people
 to
 perceive
 and
 believe
 
what
 they
 see.
 Cinema
 comedy
 opens
 another
 discourse
 
about
 the
 representation
 of
 gender
 and
 body
 image
 

Reference
 
Boggs,
 Joseph.
 M.
 (1991)
 The
 Art
 of
 Watching
 Films,
 MayQield
 Publishing,
 California.
 
29-­‐53
 
Bourdieu,
 Pierre.
 (2010)
 Dominasi
 Maskulin,
 Jalasutra,
 Yogyakarta.
 90-­‐113
 
Davies,
 Christie,
 (1996)
 Ethnic
 Humor
 Around
 the
 World:
 A
 Comparative
 Analysis
 
Bloomington:
 Indiana
 University
 Press.261
 
Fulton,
  Helen
  Elizabeth,
  Huisman,
  Rosemary
  Elizabeth
  Anne,
  Murphet,
  Julian
  and
 
Dunn,
 Anne
 Kathleen
 Mary
 (2005):
 Narrative
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