Jules Verne adaptations and hetero romance

[H Birchgrove]

I've noted that when Hollywood has made adaptations of Jules Verne's novels, they've some times added female characters and romance not originally included in book form. I think mostly of From the Earth to the Moon and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the latter being female-free in the famous Disney version (surprisingly), but not in a 1990's TV-film.* (There were novels which had female characters, but not as main characters, and romance.)

Is this only an issue of trying to make the film(s) more popular, or were the script writers etc concerned about latent homo-eroticism in the novels? :smallconfused:

* I think feminism had a big part when it came to that one. I do like strong and/or smart female characters, but PC-ing old classics is silly IMHO. :smallsigh:

[Mando Knight]

It's rule #1 of Hollywood: give everything Romantic-Comedy influences.

Giant robots? Throw in some kid and his girl troubles... actually, make that about half the film.

Spaceships, robots, and laser swords? Make the anti-hero fall because he has literally no one to turn to for competent relationship advice.

Super Soldier developed during WW2? Make his handler a chick... and his love interest.

[Kindablue]

That's also my main problem with Stuart Gordon's films.

[Fri]

Nothing to do with feminism. As others have said, it's the case of holywood's 'everything must have romance in it'

lovecraft's adaptation? Romance!
kid's cartoon? Romance!

that sort of thing.

Dunno your stance on tvtropes, but you can see an exhaustive list in http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TokenRomance.