Humor Narrative of Local Wisdom in Characters and Characterizations in Comic Adaptation Film: Sawung Kampret Movie

Abstract

World cinema is increasingly using comics as a source of adaptation material. However, such facts do not occur in the world of Indonesian cinema today. In fact, Indonesian comic adaptation films had their own heyday in the 1970s to 1980s. This is because Indonesia has legendary comic works. Therefore, it is important to conduct research on comic adaptation films, in order to regain the glory of comic adaptation films in Indonesia, and to raise the existence of Indonesian comic works. The movie Sawung Kampret, an adaptation of the comic Legenda Sawung Kampret released in 1996, is comic adaptation in the world of Indonesian cinema. Both the movie and the comic are the work of Dwi Koendoro. This film has its own charm, especially in the formation of humor aspects through its characters and characterizations. The purpose of this study is to identify how the relationship between the elements of character and characterization in forming a unity of humor narrative in Sawung Kampret film, as well as to understand how they relate to the value of Indonesian local wisdom. Through a structural approach that uses the syntagmatic-paradigmatic relation analysis method of Ferdinand de Saussure, it is found that the formation of characters in the film Sawung Kampret through the names of characters and characterizations is not only as the formation of humor elements, but as a meaning of morality that refers to the values of Indonesian local wisdom. In addition, through the names of the characters created, Dwi Koendoro's clever way of emphasizing the value of the diversity of ethnic groups and regional languages of the Indonesian people can be seen. As a result, it can be understood that the movie Sawung Kampret is a kind of speech power of Dwi Koendoro for his pride and love for his nation and country, Indonesia.

Keywords: film adaptation, figure, characterisation, humorous narrative, local wisdom

DOI: 10.7176/ADS/114-01

Publication date: July 30th 2025