The Freak Show

Over the past few centuries, individuals with any form of disability or physical anomaly were considered freaks, and completely ostracized in society. Many of these individuals found themselves in circuses and freak shows, where their “abnormalities” were on display for the entertainment of the “normal” people. In early American films, these abnormalities and disabilities were attributed to the antagonists and monstrous characters in the film. For example, as discussed in AOF, in the film Son of Frankenstein (1939), Ygor is the hunchbacked assistant to the mad doctor, and considered “evil because of his deformity as well as his close relationship to the Monster,” (AOF, p. 365). Even in more recent films, particularly the horror and slasher films that were popularized in the 1980s feature monstrous, physically deformed characters that go on revengeful killing rampages against the able-bodied characters that have wronged them.

In more recent times, there has been an increase in Hollywood films that focus on characters with disabilities in a more positive light. For example, Forrest Gump was a highly-acclaimed, Oscar winning film about a man (played by Tom Hanks) with an intellectual disability. Another successful film was Rain Man, about a man with Autism, which won four Oscars. These films took a step in the right direction by displaying characters with disabilities as normal people and not as “others” and freaks. Even though both of these characters are played by actors without actual disabilities, we are starting to see actors with disabilities and physical abnormalities in front of the camera as well. However, the storyline of these films are often specifically focused on the disability or abnormality or the character, which causes the actors identity to be once again defined by their disability.

However, there seems to be growing awareness surrounding disability and physical and mental abnormalities. Television shows like Little People, Big World and MTV’s True Life: I’m a Little Person, give viewers a chance to see that people with disabilities are just as normal as the rest of us. I think we will slowly start to see films with actors with disabilities, along with characters with disabilities, where the focus is on something other than their disability or physical abnormality. For example, as mentioned in AOF, The Bone Collector is a film starring Denzel Washington who plays a quadriplegic forensics expert. Although his disability is a component of his characters role, the film is not explicitly about his disability. I believe that with time will come more awareness and less ignorance, as we recognize individuals for who they are and not disregard those individuals from society for their differences.

Bechdel Bulls**t!

A few weeks ago, we learned about the Bechdel Test. As we know, in order for a film to pass the Bechdel Test, a movie must meet the following criteria: \

1) it has to have at least two women in it, who

2) talk to each other, about

3) something over than a man

The test was first brought to light by Alison Bechdel’s comic Dykes to Watch Out For in 1985. When I first learned about the Bechdel Test, I thought to myself, how hard can that be? It sounds so simple. I am definitely aware of the influence of white patriarchal capitalism that dominates Hollywood (as evidenced by my rants in previous blogs!), and the minimal, overtly sexualized role of women in film. But these three rules just sounded way too easy for the thousands of movies out there not to pass.

            Oh, how I was wrong. I watch a lot of movies in my spare time. In fact, it is probably one of my favorite pastimes. After learning of the Bechdel test, I started to realize that none of the films I was watching were passing. The weeks are passing, and the more films I watch, the angrier I get! How can this many films not meet these simple criteria! No matter how good the film is that I am watching is, I can’t help but lose a little bit of respect for it after realizing its Bechdel failure! It’s like I’m on a personal mission to watch a film that passes it! Even reflecting back on my favorite films, I can’t help but enjoy them a little bit less!  

Over the past few weeks, I’ve watched a few movies in my spare time, which include the following: Unknown, Grown-ups, Message in a Bottle, Heartbreaker, and some of my favorites- Slumdog Millionaire, Fight Club, Seven, and Crash. None of them passed. I can't help but feel like a disappointed parent as I watch my favorite films fail miserably! As bitter as I may sound about the topic, this newly acquired knowledge has not ruined my movie-watching experience. It has definitely opened my eyes to the vast extent of the prevalence of male dominance in Hollywood. This newly acquired awareness will allow me to critique films with higher standards, and appreciate those films that actually pass!

             

Macho, Macho Man!

After reading over my previous blogs, I have realized a slight bias I have in discussing the role and impact of feminism in our society. Although males have the “upper-hand” in our patriarchal-dominated society, there are still unfair expectations based around the male gender. So to be fair, this blog will address the social construction of masculinity, and how Hollywood portrays the role of males.

         

   As discussed in America on Film, when we think of topic of gender, we usually focus on the discrimination and unreal of women. This makes us associate the social construction of gender solely in terms of women’s issues and femininity, paying little attention to the role of masculinity in our society. “Males are conditioned by ideology and cultural standards just as much as females are, and typed into socially learned gender roles,” (America on Film, p. 257). Just like females, we expect certain behaviors of men.  Even saying the word “masculine” brings to mind strength, lacking emotion, leadership, and decision-makers. And if a man does not exhibit these features, well, he is “weak”, “a wuss”, “sissy-boy”, and considered an “other”. Our society even goes as far as questioning a man’s sexual orientation, assuming that if he is actually sensitive, caring, or non-violent, then he must be homosexual.

          

  No matter what the film genre, Hollywood nearly always exhibits these characteristics in its male characters. From the Western, the gangster film, action-adventure films, to the thrillers, men are always the tough, fearless characters who, even against all odds, somehow emerge victorious, defeating the “bad guy,” saving the damsel in distress, while simultaneously saving the world from disaster.

300

            An example of this display of masculinity is in the film 300, in which King Leonidas leads 300 Spartan soldiers into battle against the Persian “King-God”. King Leonidas, (played by Gerard Butler) along with all his soldiers, display superhuman strength throughout their numerous violently-bloody battles. With their almost-unnatural bulging muscles, the soldiers loyally follow their leader to defeat their superhuman enemy with their brut strength. In this film, Hollywood was able to turn these unrealistic male characteristics to a maximum, as those would be tough shoes to fill for any male I know!

          

  Once again, I come back to the concept that with awareness comes change, so as we slowly come to recognize the social construction of gender, we can alter our views of it in our society. I wonder, though, that since there is more focus of femininity when discussing social construction of gender, that the recognition of masculinity may take a little more time. We shall see…

The Fear of Feminism

        As mentioned in my previous blog “Women in Film”, women’s rights have come a long way in the past century. Indeed, there is still room for major improvement, however, I appreciate the social advancements that women have fought for and gained. Although I consider myself to be a “glass-half-full” person, it is extremely challenging to not get fired up, and to be honest, a little “pissed off” regarding the social stigma that surrounds feminism in our society.  This blog will take a look at second wave feminism, Hollywood’s response, and the status of feminism today.

1970's Women's Rights Movements

            As we have learned after reading Chapter 13 in America on Film, there was a new wave of feminism, called Second Wave Feminism that sparked in the 1960s. When men returned home after their duties in World War II, they did not all return to the husband-serving housewives they had left. While men headed overseas to serve their country, the role of women was altered as many women entered the workplace and took on jobs of their own. The pressure to return home to their prior role as housewife and mother triggered major civil rights movements for women’s equality.

Scene from A Clockwork Orange

            Feminist groups and organizations formed, and women began to speak out and demand equality. However, women ran into one teeny, tiny problem… patriarchal capitalism. As also mentioned in my previous blog, it is a “man’s world”, and men were not happy with this fight for independence. Men were supposed to be the decision-maker, bread-winner, and head of the household, so this new fight for independence threatened masculinity as they new it. Since the film industry was (and still is) dominated by males, Hollywood retaliated to this threat to masculinity. This backlash against the feminist movement was evident in the rise of the male violence and aggression against women in films. With the new rating system in place, many films, such as A Clockwork Orange demonstrated extremely violent acts, including graphic rape scenes, against women. These films gave the sense that women were “being punished for asserting their independence,” (AOF, p. 282).

            What is it about giving women equal right to men that is so scary? Is it because male dominance is what we have always known? Even today, there seems to be fear around the word “feminism”, and it is often interpreted as an extremist movement. With the constant attacks on the feminist movement over the past few decades, it’s almost as if it’s become a taboo topic. I believe in equality across the board, whether in regards to gender, race, class, etc. Yet, I’ll admit, for some reason I don’t announce myself as a “feminist”- as if it’s a thing of shame to be proud female who demands equality! Once again, however, I am a glass-half-full person, and believe that female equality will become more and more excepted. As AOF points out, “as media consumers and media producers become more educated and aware of these issues, things will continue to change,” (AOF, p. 301). I can only hope this change comes sooner than later!

Make Love, Not War

In my previous blog, I discussed the impact of women’s rights movements over the past century with the goal of gaining equality to men. Along parallel lines are the struggles of queer people to gain equal rights and acceptance in a heterosexually dominant world. We have come a long way in the past few decades, as used to be considered a crime or illness to be homosexual. In fact, up until 1974 homosexuality was on the American Psychiatric Associations list of mental disorders! (America on Film, p. 331). Nowadays, queer Americans are slowly gaining the rights they deserve, which is reflected in roles of queers in film and television.

In the past, homosexuality was a taboo subject. Queer characters were rarely included in films, and if they were, their character was usually “punished” with a horrible ending of death, violence, or shame. However, as homosexuality is gaining social acceptance, Hollywood is slowly starting to cast homosexual characters in a better light, and are even winning awards for the films and television shows featuring these characters. For example, my favorite show, Modern Family, is about three families living in California- one of these families is a homosexual couple, Mitchell and his partner Cameron, who have adopted a Vietnamese baby named Lily. Not only is this a hilarious show, but it represents the queer community in a healthy and positive light. One critique that the show did receive was the lack of affection between Cameron and Mitchell. The producers of the show responded to this by airing an episode that directly addresses the issue, called “The Kiss”. Despite this small hiccup, the show has been extremely successful. It has won multiple awards, including five Television Critics Association Awards. The show even received a GLSEN Respect Award for its portrayal of "positive images and storylines that reflect a diverse America, including the depiction of a family headed by a gay couple (Wikipedia.com). This just goes to show that Hollywood is moving in the right direction with its portrayal of homosexual life.

Another example of successful films featuring queers is the infamous Brokeback Mountain. This film sparked much controversy with its story about two homosexual American cowboys. Despite this controversy, it won endless awards for its bold display of queer relationships. It won numerous Academy Awards, and also won a GLAAD Media Award, which is an award ceremony “which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives,” (Wikipedia.com).

Although most films and television shows feature heterosexual couples, Hollywood is slowly starting to expand its horizons and include queer characters in its casts. “Hollywood is slowly becoming more inclusive of Americas diverse sexual cultures, however, it still upholds the hegemonic dominance of white patriarchal heterosexuality” (America on Film, pt 329). Just like the role of women in film, queers are slowly being portrayed in a more realistic and fair view, but we still have a ways to go!

Women in Film

Over the past century, the role of women in society has changed drastically. For decades, women have fought for equality, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Today, women have equal rights in the eyes of the law, and it is no longer unacceptable to be a strong, independent woman. Despite this advancement of women in society, however, it is still said that we live in a “man’s world”. This is a bold statement, but unfortunately, male dominance is still apparent in every day life, which is also reflected in our film industry. This blog will discuss the portrayal of women in early film, and how women are portrayed in films today.

           

In the beginning of the 20^th century, before the Women’s Rights movements, women were portrayed very differently than they are today. Described as Victorian women, women in early films were innocent, childlike, and virtuous. She was fragile, and needed the protection of a man to be safe. She was never allowed to display her sexuality, as sex was a duty in order to reproduce, and not for her pleasure. She was assumed a virgin until she married her husband, who she would then be loyally devoted to. Films showed that women who did not follow this role, such as those who were openly sexual, or had a child out of wedlock, were punished. They were thrown into the streets as social outcasts. “These texts taught severe ideological lessons to young women of the era: to be sexual outside of marriage most often led to ruin,” (America on Film, pg. 219).

           

Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

In films today, women are much more sexually liberated. For example, the movie Sex and the City (which is based off a HBO series), is about four female friends in their forties who live in New York City. These four ladies are strong and independent, and frequently have very frank and descriptive conversations about sex. This kind of behavior would be unheard of in early cinema! Despite this sexual freedom, white patriarchal capitalism still dominates the film industry. The main character of films is often a white male, and the female is usually in a supporting role. Women often play beautiful but helpless characters who need to be saved by the star male character. “Whereas the male is defined by his actions, job, and/or principles, the heroine is defined chiefly by her beauty and/or sex appeal.” If a female is to take a lead role, it is usually in a “chick flick”, where her goal is to fall in love with Mr. Right, or an action film, where she plays a character whose greatest quality is her sex appeal. For example, in the film Tomb Raider, Lara Croft (played by Angelina Jolie) is the main character, who happens to be extremely sexy. With large breasts and tiny waist, covered by extra-short shorts and an extra small tank-top, her sex appeal grabs more attention than her “ass-kicking” skills. Yet, had Lara Croft had a “butch” look, sporting old jeans and a t-shirt, this would have a drastic effect on the audience’s acceptance of her character!

Although there have been major changes in the portrayal of women over the past century, there is still an inaccurate image of the role of women. Women are frequently sexually objectified, which often goes unnoticed. However, as we have seen, things change with time, and as women gain more equality in society, we will also see changes in the film industry.

Class in Cinema

Scene from The Great Gatsby

One of the joys of watching films is the escape from reality they provide, allowing its viewers to imagine themselves in another world. Filmmakers throughout the history of film have used this at their advantage to play on the imagination of viewers. As described in America on Film (Benshoff & Griffin, 2009, p.181), classical Hollywood melodramas “almost always center on wealthy people enjoying privileged lives. Those types of movies thus presented beautiful worlds free of economic strife that filmgoers could enter and dream about for the price of a ticket”. A few years ago, I watched The Great Gatsby for the first time. This film shows the life of high class Mr. Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish and luxurious for hundreds of his friends. I remember watching it in awe of this glamorous lifestyle and picturing myself attending parties like those!

Scene from 8 Mile

In movies from today as well as the past, there seems to be an ongoing idea wrapped about the glamour of the upper-class lifestyle. Whether the main character is rich or poor, there is an underlining theme of reaching the upper class status, and achieving the “American Dream”. For example, in the movie 8 mile, Eminem plays Jimmy Smith, a poor, uneducated man in Detroit, who many would consider to be “trailer trash”. Jimmy’s dream is to become a successful rapper, and despite endless critique and lack of support, achieves his dream of stardom. This idea of the American Dream portrays that if you work hard and never give up on your goal, you will achieve success and wealth. As “cheesy” and cliche as this storyline sounds, it has worked for decades in the film industry. There’s something about this “happy ending” that keeps us coming back for more as the viewer. If Jimmy Smith were to work hard to pursue his dream and fail miserably (which unfortunately happens in reality!), it would make for a depressing and un-motivating movie!

      This obsession with wealth, fame, and the upper-class status is not only evident in the movies, but in the entire Hollywood pop culture scene.  America on Film points out that instead of discussing important, pressing world issues (ie healthcare, economy, etc), Americans focus on the unimportant events of the “rich and famous”. For example, when standing in any grocery line, you will see endless tabloids and magazines flashing images of the most famous celebrities, advertising articles about who so-and-so is dating, or what so-and-so was wearing. On occasion, you might see a Time magazine, displaying topics of important world topics, but this cover easily gets lost in the sea of celebrity gossip magazines! Over the past century, it has slowly become a part of American culture to idolize the wealth and materialism of our movie stars.