Potrayal of the elements of crimes in Malay films :a study from Shari`ah perspectives

Abstract

The crime scenes in films are like the spices in food. Food will not be tasty and delicious without spices. In the same way, films will not be thrilling without element of crime. Researches have been conducted in the West on the effects of the elements of crime in films and the media on the viewers. However, the positions of Islamic Jurisprudence towards crime elements in films are scarce, which inspired the researcher to conduct this study. Three films, namely; Semerah Padi (SP, 1956), Buai Laju-Laju (BLL, 2004) and Remp-It (RI, 2006) were chosen to analyse the elements of crime contained in them. The researcher tries to identify the crime elements, clarifies them according to Islamic Jurisprudence sources and finally proposes appropriate regulatory measures. The study discovers that there is disparity in the punishment to crime ratio in the selected films. In other words, the films are stuffed with more crime elements without appropriate punishments, thereby leaving the viewers with little or no lessons to learn. It is also observed that some criminals in most of the films were made to get away with the heinous crimes they committed, which is a dangerous signal to the public. Above all, the human Ñawrah, which is regarded as sacred and a source of fitnah if exposed to a ‘wrong person’ according to the Shariah is not respected in some of the scenes. The methodology adopted in this study involves the use of related literature available in libraries, field work and film analysis. The guideline in portraying the elements of crime according to the Shariah is the main proposal of this study. Some of the overall findings of the study are: First, the punishments and lessons that commensurate with the crimes should be portrayed more than the portrayal of the crimes in a film. Second, crime should not be merely portrayed without explaining its consequences in accordance with Shariah and Law. Third, Shariah never allowed any portrayal of action in film which is contrary to its guidelines, such as exposing the Ñawrah, let alone showing the clear action of the crime especially when it relates to seductive scenes. As a result of the these findings, the study thereby proposes a number of recommendations to all stakeholders in the film industry which include the film makers, the Malaysian Government and various regulatory bodies responsible for film production, such as Board of Film Censor of Malaysia (LPFM) and FINAS.