MEN DON'T CRY......RIGHT?

By: Caleb Baue 

  

In the early studio days, masculinity looks like what is now referred to as Traditional Masculinity, where men are the dominant gender, working, providing for, and protecting the woman that are in their lives. Anything that goes against this understanding of what it means to be a man is automatically deemed as feminine. (Benshoff  & Griffin, 2009)  In the 1928 silent film Steamboat Bill Jr., the main character played by Buster Keaton is an obvious let down to his father who is a successful, rich, business man. He then spends the entire film attempting to reach his fathers standards of Manhood. He finally accomplishes this through heroic acts of physical amazement and saves the damsel in distress. Keaton’s character makes the transition from a young college boy, with a sloppy sense of dress, no woman, no job, and no respect, to a man who is now the town hero, has a pretty girl, and shops at Men’s warehouse.(Keaton, Sheneck & Keaton, Reisner, 1928) Keaton’s character is a how to guide to the males in the audience, if they too want to be a man respected by their community, they’re going to need to aspire to be like Keaton’s transformed character.  Fast forward to mid-1930’s though the end on the 1940’s, America is in crisis and so is its Masculinity. First came the great depression, that resulted in American men losing their overall ability to provide and protect their families. Less than a decade later the country is thrown into the second world war. While the men were away knocking Axis Power skulls together, woman are back home in the work force, making sure this country stays afloat on the home front. This is the beginning of the end for traditional masculinity. It was an all hands-on deck effort from the suits of wall street to the studios of Hollywood to reclaim the broken image of masculinity, but it was no use because the next generation of Masculinity had already arrived.

              This new generation of actors included names like Marlon Brandon and James Dean. These actors portrayed the new Soft Masculinity that we see today. This generation of actors were playing character’s that embodied traditional masculine characteristics, yet are now playing scenes of deep emotion, internal struggle, and woman being a greater influence and controller of men’s lives than before. In a Streetcar Named Desire, starring Marlon Brandon, there is a scene where Marlon has just gone in a fit of rage attempting to, what some would say, put his wife in her rightful place and

beats her. Traditionally, the wife would obey and fall back in line, but instead she runs out of the apartment and leaves Marlon there by himself. In desperation Marlon runs out of his home into the courtyard calling out “STELLLA” as tears roll down his face begging for his wife to return, when she finally does come back to him he drops to his knees in shame. (Feldman & Kazan, 1951) This scene perfectly represents the slight fall of Masculinity, in the Hollywood studio system.

              The roles we see Male actors playing today is the combination of the traditional hard body alpha male, and the internally conflicted, man who’s not afraid to cry. If actors like Marlon Brando had never taken this new form of masculinity to the screen, the American male audience would have never been able to have the exposure to it that is needed for Hollywood to have its cultural affect. This new era of masculinity allowed for a lot of the actors of present day to be able to have the role that they do. Do you really think that Deadpool (2016)would have the love story aspect, or Jonah hills softhearted nerdy protagonist in 22 Jump Street (2014) would even exist today if Masculinity hadn’t of taken a knee on those steps?

References

Branshoff H.M & Griffin S. (2009) Masculinity in classical Hollywood filmmaking, In America on film: representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies (2^nd edition. pp 257-277) UK

Feldman C.K (producer) Kazan E. (director) (1951) A street car named desire [motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros.
Keaton B. Sheneck J. (producers) Keaton B. Reisner C.F (directors)(1928) Steam boat bill jr. [motion picture] Unites States: United Artists

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