Research essay

In what ways is masculinity challenged in contemporary action films with particular focus on Fast 5 and Casino Royale?

In this investigation I will be examining how masculinity is represented in the two films Fast 5(1) and Casino Royale(2). Both films are from the action genre with Casino Royale being more of a spy film and Fast 5 focusing more on crime. However both films represent ideas of masculinity and I will be applying theories such as Hard bodies, National identity and the female gaze to specific scenes within the films to analyse whether they challenge masculinity or use it conventionally.

The action film genre started in the 1920s and 1930s, they usually consisted of battles between villains and heroes with swords and weapons. They were known as 'Swashbuckler' films.(5) The genre has changed and evolved over time, spy and western films have become more popular and costumes used in the films have become more "normal and suited to the theme of the film".(5) These changes have made the action film genre more realistic and more appealing to the audience.(5) In any action film there is an action hero, they are usually very masculine and can "achieve what is out of reach for most ordinary people"(6). The hero in the film is often "the ideal we wish ourselves to be".(6)

Masculinity involves being "tough, respected, strong and independent"(4) according to theorist Jackson Katz. He argues that being masculine involves violence and that "violence is an accepted part of masculinity in films"(4). This theory is backed up in the fight scene between Dom and Hobbs in Fast 5. They both take the form of the 'hard body'(7) action hero. The hard body has remained as one of the fundamental focuses of action films through their evolution. A hard body is a character who is tough and masculine, his body will "enable him to navigate around the perils that shall assault him later on".(6) A hard body action hero usually engages in some form of violence and is "undoubtedly compelled to face the perils of human intervention"(6),meaning that the hard body usually comes under some form of attack from another character, this involvement in violence links back to the theory of Jackson Katz. There are often stereotypes of masculine males in films, usually certain races are related to certain types of characters. For example, Jackson Katz says that Latino males are usually "represented as boxers, criminals and tough guys"(4) and that Asian-American men are usually "represented as martial arts masters or dangerous criminals".(4) Katz also argues that the violence that is portrayed in films influences males in the real world. He argues that the "majority of violence and crime in society is committed by males"(4) as a result of what they have seen in films and believes that the films can lead to things such as "domestic violence and abuse".(4)

Jackson Katz’s views can be applied to both Fast 5 and Casino Royale but Fast 5 uses it more conventionally. Fast 5 is a very stereotypical action film of today, it contains a lot of violence, fighting and weapons, an example is the scene where the convoy come under fire from a gang with guns and RPGs.(1) In this scene there is fast paced editing and non-digetic music used to show action. The mise en scene is based around the favelas of Brazil. These are the slums of the country, the area looks rundown and dirty and there is graffiti on the walls, this represents the way of life of the people that live there and the poverty that exists in that part of the world.  Fast 5(1) also represents men as being muscular and rugged, this is evidence of "the normative mapping of bodies"(8) in action films. This use of violence and the representation of the rugged male means that Fast 5 is a very conventional action film which contrasts with Casino Royale which is adapting more with the times. When James Bond first appeared in the 60's played by Sean Connery, he was represented as being a "hairy-chested, hard drinking, constantly smoking representation of the man's man of the time"(9), Doug Brode, a professor of television and film said that "Sean Connery emphasised the macho"(9). In Casino Royale Bond is still masculine, he still uses violence and kills people however he is more sexualised and in touch with his emotions, this makes him a "far more relatable character"(9). There is evidence that Bond is more in touch with his emotions in the scene where he sleeps with Vesper Lynd.(2) In the past Bond would have slept with a woman out of "selfish desire"(9) however in Casino Royale he sleeps with her out of love and "his actions stem from severe personal loss"(9). The scene where Bond sits and cries over Vespers death(2) also shows that Bond now shows his emotions a lot more, in past Bond films he wouldn't have cried over the death of a woman, he would have just moved on. This change in his actions makes Bond a much more relatable character, allowing the audience to personally identify with him. There is a high camera angle in this scene that looks down at Bond, this makes him look vulnerable and this combined with the use of non-digetic music makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Bond and allows the audience to gain an insight in to his thoughts and feelings for the first time.  This shows how Bond has changed with the times as in the past Bond would never have cried. Laura Mulvey's theory of the female gaze can be applied to Casino Royale to show how Bond is sexualised in the film. The scene where Bond walks out of the Sea with his top off(2) shows fragmentation of his body and makes him visually appealing to a female audience, allowing them to gain visual pleasure from watching it. The camera shows a mid shot of Bond's body, focusing on his muscles and sexualising him. Laura Mulvey originally argued "man as the bearer of the look"(10), however this theory has adapted over time and men are now often the victims of the female gaze which is evident in this scene. This scene is a prime example of how Bond has changed over time, it is a similar scene to the one in Die Another Day(11) where Halle Berry walks out of the sea on to the beach. However, in Die Another Day(11) the focus is on the female and the male gaze theory can be applied conventionally, this contrasts with the Casino Royale(2) scene where the gaze has altered and has now focused on the male in order to sexualise him.

Theory of masculinity

Masculinity 

Theorist-  Jackson Katz

To be masculine involves being- tough, respected, strong, independent   

examples of representations-

Latino men- usually represented as boxers, criminals and tough guys

Asian- American men- usually represented as martial arts masters or dangerous criminals

He argues that violence is an accepted part of masculinity in films. He thinks males are influenced by what they see in the media and in films and believes that it leads to domestic violence and abuse in the real world.  He says that the majority of violence and crime in society is committed by males.

Bibliography

Bibliography

(1)- Fast 5- 2011- Justin Lin

(2)- Casino Royale- 2006- Martin Campbell

(3)-Masculinity theory ideas- http://voices.yahoo.com/masculinity-theory-overview-1941490.html

(4)-Jackson Katz ideas and theory video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI&feature=player_embedded#at=215

(5)-http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Action_film.html- the evolution of the action film genre

(6)-The shape of the action hero- http://the-artifice.com/shape-of-the-action-hero/

(7)-Book- Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era- Susan Jeffords-1994

(8)- Book- Masculinity studies and feminist theories:New directions- Judith Kegan Gardiner- 2002

(9)-Men Style power- http://www.menstylepower.com/2012/10/the-name-is-bond-james-bond/-James Bond's masculinity

(10)- Laura Mulveys Visual pleasure and narrative cinema- 1975

(11)- Die Another Day- 2002- Lee Tamahori

(12)- Book- "key themes in media theory"- Dan Laughey

(13)-Book- What is hegemonic masculinity?- Mike Donaldson- 1993

(14)-Book- Masculinities- R.W.Connell- 2005

(15)-http://analyzeforfun.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/representations-of-women-in-james-bond-pt-1-1/- Women in James Bond

(16)- http://benjbourne93.wordpress.com/how-women-are-represented-as-bond-girls/- Women in James Bond

(17)-http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/allies/m3.php3- Information on how M is represented in James Bond

(18)- http://jamesbond.wikia.com/wiki/Bond_girl- Representation of women

Sin City

Sin City

How does the chosen text use genre conventions?

Genre conventions are features that are typical to a particular sort of genre. The film Sin City fits the film noir genre and uses typical conventions from this style of text. The film noir genre is a style of film that reflects the cold war period. There are themes of fear, mistrust and despair in films of this style and  they are often created though the use of characters, lighting and mise en scene. 

The film Sin City is shot mainly in black and white. The use or dark colours and low key lighting give the film a theme of horror, some colours, such as the red of blood are highlighted in the film to indicate things such as danger and lust. For example, in the first scene of the film, the woman's lips and dress are red, they are the only things in the scene that aren't black or dark and this means that they are significant and stand out. The colour red signifies danger and this is backed up later in the scene when she gets shot and killed.These dark colours and low key lighting effects are typical conventions of a film noir text. Another convention of film noir is the use a voice overs. In Sin City, voice overs and narrating feature throughout the whole film and tell the backgrounds and personalities of the characters. An example of this is when Marv says " so I broke his arm in three places and signed the confession ", this tells the audience a lot about the kind of character Marv is, he is tough, violent and powerful and this line of voice over reflects that. The voice overs are used to give the audience extra information or an insight in to the mind of a character, this is a common trait of the film noir genre.

Film noir texts try to give a theme of fear and horror. Mise en scene is a very effective way of doing this. Typical mise en scene for a film noir text includes things such as guns, cigarettes and dark, rain drenched streets, all of which associate to the corrupt cities that film noir texts are set in. One of the scenes in Sin City shows a group of prostitutes in dark back alleys with guns, knifes and other weapons.The streets are lit by neon lights and there is heavy rainfall. This is typical use of mise en scene in film noir, suggesting themes of violence and corruption. Venetian blinds are also commonly used in the film. For example in the scene where Marv is being interrogated. They give a streaky, lined effect across the screen and are typically associated with the film noir genre.

Fish Tank

Fish Tank

How typical is the text of its genre?
Fish tank fits in to the genre of social realism. It is quite a typical film of this genre because it shows real situations and issues. It is filmed in a way that makes it look like a documentary, there are different uses of the camera, lighting and sound effects that give it this effect. The film uses a lot of tracking shots that follow the main character and also uses point of view shots. These shots make the audience see the film through the eyes of the characters in the film and allow them to connect with them and relate with them  more. There are many handheld camera shots too, this makes the film look like it is being filmed from within the estate that it is set, this also helps make the film look like a documentary. An example of this is at the start of the film when the camera is tracking and following Mia around the estate, it looks as if she is being filmed as she is going about her everyday life, this adds to the realism of the film. Fish Tank also uses natural lighting throughout the film.This makes the film look real instead of giving it a fantasy look. The film only uses digetic music, the digetic music makes it look as if the film has been filmed from within the estate. There are sounds of traffic, CD players and TVs, these are all in the film and help create action and atmosphere in the film without making it look like a fantasy. There are also unknown actors playing the characters, this is very typical of social realism films as it doesn't give the audience any preconceived ideas of what the characters may be like if they are being played by well known actors. It creates authenticity and realism in the film.

Explore the different representations  of women in the text?
Women are represented as being vulnerable and trapped in the film. Mia and Tyler are trapped in the world that has been created for them by their mother Joanne, they are unable to escape and have to make do with the life they have. Joanne is also trapped in her life but when she meets Connor she is overwhelmed by him and lets him take advantage of her. She thinks he is the answer to her problems but in the long run he ends up causing her more problems than she had before.

How traditional is the  narrative structure of the text?
The narrative structure of Fish Tank focuses on social problems. It focuses on alienation and relationship problems. For example, Mia is trapped and alienated in the world that she is in, she is unable to get out and lead a better life because she doesn't know any better. Also, the film represents relationship problems, we see that Connor has his own family but is having a relationship with Joanne, this suggests that although from the outside it looks like he is happy with his family, he clearly isn't and is leading a secret life with another woman behind his wife's back. It is hard to apply a narrative theory to Fish Tank but the most appropriate theory would be Todorov's theory of disequilibrium. The film appears to start in equilibrium with the family getting on with their life until Mia finds out about Connors family. This causes disequilibrium in the film to Mia and her family. Equilibrium is restored at the end of the film, but only for Mia, she gets in the car and goes to Cardiff with Billy to start a new life and escapes from the life and the problems that she doesn't want.