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Masculinity in films
Masculinity and sexuality portrayal in film
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Our society tells us that we have two spectrums of gender. A person can either be feminine or masculine. Masculinity says the man has to be strong, lead, a provider, and a protector. Truthfully, there is not any man that has all those traits. Looking at Bruce Banner from The Avengers and Steve Rogers from Captain America: The First Avenger, masculinity is not lacking. Only factor that is missing is the psychological trait from Banner since he has not yet accepted who he really is yet. This continues to hinder him from being a true protector. Rogers is missing the moral part, since he comes from a different time period where corruption was not prominent in our nation. His soldier mentality is hindering him from being a leader. These two heroes, affected by a chemical reaction, are the epitome of physical masculinity, but they are both lacking in their own ways.
In The Avengers, Banner was a very quiet and introverted or reclusive. In The Hulk movie, Banner had a hard life. His father, Brian Banner, hated him because he believed that Banner was affected by his work and was mutated. In the first scene, it shows Banner as a boy sitting in a corner neglected. His mom love for him caused his dad to hate him even more. Brian Banner killed his wife and this caused rage to build up within Bruce.
Banner’s anger has always been the one emotion he tries his hardest to hide from. This feeling of anger started with his family. Once he was exposed to the gamma radiation, the chemical fed on his anger. Whenever he feels rage he turns into a huge green monster. When Banner is in the India helping sick people in The Avengers, the audience already gets a glimpse of him isolating himself. Banner does not want to be noticed or found. Even when he ...
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...n The Avengers, the transformation with Banner occurred psychologically and with Rogers when he challenges himself to challenge his superiors. In the end, they both found that their masculine exteriors could help their inner self. Their masculine interiors they were lacking in their original movies, Banner being his acceptance of who he is and Rogers being that of always doing what is right, they both made the change to better themselves as a hero.
Works Cited
The Avengers. Dir. Joss Whedon. Perf. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth. Marvel Studios. 2012. Year.
The Hulk. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, and Josh Lucas. Universal Pictures. 2003. Film.
Captain America: The First Avenger. Dir. Joe Johnston. Perf. Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson, and Hayley Atwell. Marvel Studios. 2011. Film.
Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Digital Video Disc. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2000.
When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they believe in order to fit in, they must comply and be part of the pack.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Perfs. Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro. DVD. Columbia TriStar, 1994.
Cameron, James, Dir. Titanic. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, 1997.
First, it is important to identify Captain America as a nonexclusive alter-ego. Isaiah Bradley, for instance, is an African American soldier who also received the Super-Serum. He later took on the role of Captain America, while still holding high moral standards. This proves Captain America is a symbol not bound by an individual, therefore not restricted by a certain demographic. Secondly, it is critical to examine virtue ethics, the moral code of Captain America, and how it can represent a whole country. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues about a person is continent, incontinent, viscous, or virtuous. A continent person knows right from wrong and usually does what is right. An incontinent person also knows right from wrong, but will easily succumb to his or her desires. A viscous person will also do what is wrong and enjoy it. A virtuous person will always do what is morally right. Using virtuousness or virtue ethics as a representation of a group is setting them up for failure, yet is advantageous for the group because they then aspire to virtuousness. To answer the initial question, Captain America is a symbol of virtue, without being constrained to a certain demographic. He or she (assuming that a female will act as Captain America eventually) serves as a moral example by which to
The Last Airbender. Dir. M. Night Shyamalan. Perf. Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, and Jackson Rathbone. Paramount Pictures, 2010. Film.
Pulp Fiction. Dir. Tarantino Quentin. Perf. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth
Elysium. Dir. Neill Blomkamp. Prod. Bill Block and Simon Kinberg. By Neill Blomkamp. Perf. Matt Damon and Alice Braga. TriStar Pictures, 2013. Film.
I,Robot. Dir. Alexander Proyas. Screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Perf. WIll Smith. Twentieth Century Fox, 2004. DVD.
The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth. Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2012. Film.
Sean Penn. Perf. Emile Hirsch and Vince Vaughn. IMDb.com - "The X-Men" 15 Nov. 2013. 18 Nov. 2013 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/>.
Wachowski, Andy, Dir. The Matrix. Perf. Reeves, Keanu, Lawrence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Warner Bros: 1999, Film.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Dir. Richard Marquand. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher. DVD. Twentieth Century Fox, 2006.
Jurassic Park. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Per. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenbourough, Ariana Richards and Joesph Mazzello. Universal Pictures. 1993. Film.
Without including the movie, or the comics, let us examine the visual imagery of Captain America. In specifically examining the picture included in this text we will see a very strong hero. His wardrobe screams fighter; as he is equipped with pockets for holding weapons, durable for fighting, and accents his very masculine stature. His getup embodies his era, WWII, and pays homage to the country he is from and represents. His costume respectfully represents America. Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America’s costume is mostly blue however; single white star on his chest respectfully represents all of the states and towards his abdomen we find vertical red and white stripes. His mask covering around his eyes and chin is all black with a white “A” on his forehead.