Exploring Cultural Translation and Audience Reception in Global Film Adaptations with Reference to Select Novels

Abstract

The concept of adaptation in films goes beyond the on-screen transformation that once defined cinema. It now involves a sophisticated process of cross-cultural translation, where the story is decontextualised to suit foreign markets without changing its core meaning. This research explores global film adaptation, cultural reinterpretation, and reception, discussing the role of adaptation in globalisation at the intersection of cultural specificity and universality. Case studies include The Departed (2006), a Hollywood remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs; Slumdog Millionaire (2008), a British adaptation of Indian urban poverty; and Let Me In (2010), the American remake of the Swedish horror Let the Right One In, examining decisions made during adaptation- such as variations in narrative, visual and tonal changes- and how these variations influence acceptance across different cultures. The study references adaptation theory by Linda Hutcheon, Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model, and Homi Bhabha's concept of hybridity. It concludes that successful adaptations typically balance localisation with maintaining cultural essence, whereas poorly executed ones tend to rely on stereotyping or oversimplification of cultural interactions.