From 'Diversion' to 'Fatal Attraction': the transformation of a morality play into a Hollywood hit

Article Abstract:

The movie, 'Fatal Attraction,' is based on the play 'Diversion,' with several changes to make it popular. The immoral male protagonist of the play is transformed into a character with whom audiences sympathize, and his wife is projected as more desirable than the woman who has seduced her husband. The final scene was remade so that the hero's lover, who commits suicide in the play, is killed by the wounded wife instead. Some women take offence to the film's partiality to the adulterous male, because it absolves him of his share of the responsibility of his affair with an unmarried working woman.

Diversion (Play)

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Patriarchal politics in 'Fatal Attraction.'

Article Abstract:

'Fatal Attraction' depicts a traditional American family threatened by, and finally overcoming, the complex relationships prevalent in modern society. The film reinforces conservative values of marriage and male superiority, reverting to antifeminism in its emphasis on the dominance of the father in a nuclear family. The film, through its portrayal of the father as the earning member and mother as housewife, presents a chauvinistic cultural norm consistent with postwar society's concept of the family as a patriarchal entity.

Portrayals, Family

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'Fatal Attraction': the sinister side of women's conflict about career and family

Article Abstract:

The popularity of 'Fatal Attraction' reflects a regression in American attitudes to the role of women in society. The film suggests that working women lose their femininity and become aggressive and destructive. The housewife is portrayed as a heroine whose family is threatened by the career woman. The film acquires the character of a morality play whose conservative message is the destruction of the liberated woman.

Social aspects, Women

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