By "crisis in masculinity," I mean exactly what Ron suggests, that
"masculine values or masculine mythologies are being challenged." I am
referring to a direct engagement, interrogation or deconstruction of
traditional notions of masculinity, especially masculinity as constructed in
opposition to its feminine other, a binary opposition that privileges the
masculine and
reinscribes it as dominant. In response to your question, "Does not every
film in which a man confronts his own gender
issues reflect such a crisis?" I would have to say, yes! Double Indemnity
is a good example, because I think Film Noir tends to be deeply misogynist,
since the tradition femme fatale -- usually a strong woman -- poses a direct
threat to the traditional construction of the male. War films are more
complex in their various engagements with masculinity, but would probably
constitute a separate category of masculinity in crisis films.
You raise a good point: Almost every film engages in issues of gender, one
way or another. But not all films address the crisis in masculinity,
although I suppose one could argue that Stallone's Rocky films do, as do the
Terminator films, as they attempt to reassert a very narrow definition of
masculinity, one which constructs the male as the dominant force.
Indeed, as you say, the term crisis in masculinity can be "very broadly used
to define any film in which a man has a problem being a man." Now, in
Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vol 2, Bill -- who is the embodiment of some very
tradition, ie, macho, notions of masculinity, has a problem or face a crisis
only when confronted by Uma's character, a woman aspiring to a position of
equal power. Here, I suppose we are presented with a variation of the
Hegelian master/slave dichotomy, where the slave has no recourse but to kill
the master, so from a deconstructive point of view, we could say that
Tarantino to some extent exposes the ideology at work here, but we do not
arrive at a solution, merely a switching of positions. Another way to look
at this, would be from a psychological perspective in which Uma must kill
the father (figure) in order to be free of him. We seem to be here within a
Lacanian realm, as what is challenged is the law of the father.
Comments are welcome.
Elaine Pigeon
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