The film adaptation of Women in Love (1920): the translation of Gudrun Brangwen to the screen

Abstract

Women in Love (1969) is a film adaptation, directed by Ken Russell, of D. H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love (1920). This study aims to investigate the strategies involved in translating the character Gudrun Brangwen to the screen, understanding the implications of these choices to the constitution of the filmic narrative. Firstly, we investigated the strategies used by Lawrence in the construction of Gudrun in the novel. Secondly, we examined the procedures used by Ken Russell, observing the norms of translation (TOURY, 1995). In this research, the film adaptation process is understood as a form of translation (CATTRYSSE, 1992). Also, we adopted a polysystemic perspective, considering the socio-historical and political aspects of both the source and the target contexts (EVEN-ZOHAR, 1990). Another methodological pillar is Descriptive Translation Studies (TOURY, 1995). Results point out that the film updates Gudrun’s features, erasing the ambiguities of the character. We believe the filmmakers aimed to intensify Gudrun’s avant-guard behavior. The film was released in a period marked by historical cornerstones such as sexual liberation, therefore, the focus on more erotic-subversive attitudes may be interpreted as an attempt to update the impact of the text in the target culture.