Very interesting points. The crisis in masculinity here can also be seen in
the rape scene.   The men are so despicable that they alienate the male
audience and force masculinity to look at itself in all its vile
manifestations. The male viewer is compelled to identify with the woman to
such a degree that the masculine is relegated to a position of  inferiority,
but ironically these men are so disgusting and vile that any respectable
male in the audience would immediately deny any identification with their
heinous intentions. Although these men and men, male spectator would
undoubtedly disavow them and feel ironically protective toward a woman whose
way with the sword is unmatched. Any spectator would immediately feel guilty
for any such associations and might hitherto be "fearful" of regarding
Thurman as an object of sexual desire. It is very difficult to look at her
through the lascivious eye of the male gaze--it is a gaze which reflects
back upon itself and sees itself looking with guilt and repulsion. How can I
desire a woman whose child was ripped from her womb, who burns with rage and
who wears a yellow jumpsuit meant to eliminate any vestiges of male
desire--not to mention the sword seen again and again cutting limbs off men
who are foolish enough to contest her will. Ron


From: "elaine pigeon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: Tarantino & the Crisis of Masculinity


> 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
>
> *
> *
> Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon.
> After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are
replying to.
> To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to:
[log in to unmask]
> For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon.
> **

*
*
Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon.
After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to.
To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask]
For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon.
**