Haim et.al.
Well, the examples that spring to mind concern the caricature that
Annette Bening plays (shrew harridan to the max), as well as how valorous
the Kevin Spacey character is made to look for going through a (rather
peurile)mid-life crisis. To have him die at the hands of a cartoonish
military man with repressed homosexual tendencies makes him a martyr to his
his (ersatz) liberation, giving him a nobility that he does not possess. Not
for one moment is it considered that the wife is the way she is (in part)
because of her low self-esteem husband. It just seems to validate the right
of middle-aged men to go slightly crazy, and simply say "Well, its my
mid-life crisis!" Another example of the adolescencing (excuse the
neologism) of male adults in America
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: Haim Callev
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 5/15/00 1:17 AM
Subject: Re: American Beauty
Hi Dan,
Could you be more specific about those 'chauvinist propaganda' elements?
A few
examples will do.
Haim.
"Shaw, Dan" wrote:
> Does anyone know of any feminist criticism related to "American
Beauty"? It
> seems to me that feminists should be outraged by how many Academy
Awards
> this piece of chauvinist propaganda managed to win (especially when
you
> compare it with "Being John Malkovich")!?! Anyone who would like to
share
> their sentiments, or point me to good deconstructions of this piece of
> stereotyped crap, would earn my gratitude.
>
> Dan Shaw
>
>
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