Obsessive Avenger

            Apart from homosexuality in film, there is also one other group that I haven’t quite gotten around to talking about yet. I’m speaking of course about the portrayal of disabled people in film. Individuals with “congenital impairments and/or other physical anomalies” (Benshoff) were typically depicted as “freaks” in early film, these characters allowed “normal” people to develop a curiosity and to use there disabilities to entertain themselves. There are many different stereotypes that are associated with individuals with disabilities. The stereotype I’m going to be focusing on is the Obsessive Avenger.

            The Obsessive Avenger is a “stereotype of a disabled or disfigured man who exacts revenge on “normal” society; often found in crime or horror films” (Benshoff). This character can be found in a number of films today. The Lion King, for example, is a Disney growing up film about a young cub, named Simba, who flees and abandons his role as future king after he is tricked into believing that he was responsible for his father’s deaths. When in fact it was actually is Uncle Scar (his father’s brother) who killed him. Scar fits into the stereotype of the obsessive avenger because (1) he’s a man, (2) He is slightly disfigured. There is a huge scar that is shown across his eye and, (3) He plays an evil character who is seeking revenge against his brother.  Scar wants to become king, so he comes up with a plan to murder his own brother.

            One other famous Disney character that would also fall under the stereotype of the Obsessive Avenger would be Captain Hook from the film Peter Pan. The story is about a young boy named Peter Pan who refuses to grow up. He lives in the magical world of Neverland which is where his adventures take place. Captain Hook plays the antagonist of the film. Hook’s character would defiantly fall under the Obsessive Avenger for the following reasons. (1) He is a man, (2) Hook wears a big iron hook on his hand. Peter Pan was partly responsible in his injury when he lured a crocodile to come bite off his hand, and (3) He plays a villainous character who is bent on seeking revenge against Peter Pan.

            The Harry Potter films could also be another great example. Harry Potter is a story about an orphan named Harry who discovers that he is a wizard and is whisked off to attend a Wizarding School called Hogwarts. Lord Voldermort plays the murderous villain who is determined to kill Harry Potter.  Voldermort would fall under the stereotype of an Obsessive Avenger because (1) He’s a male, (2) In the books he is described to be slightly disfigured in the face. In the movie as you can tell by the picture above, he is missing a nose and has a slightly creepy look about him . Voldermort recieved his injuries after a failed attempt to kill Harry when he was a baby. (3) Voldermort is clearly evil. He is responsible for the death of many different characters in the film. (4) Voldemort specifically wants revenge against Harry for nearly destroying him.

       Through these examples, you could see characters that embody characteristics of the Obsessive Avenger. One thing I realized as I was writing this blog was the number of villains that have disfigured faces or missing limbs. These characters are normally always mocked as villainous characters. It sort of makes you wonder how individuals in the real world who may suffer from these same conditions feel when they are confronted with these images. I feel like it’s time to shed some new light on this stereotypical role.

Work Cited :

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.

Homosexuality

One topic I’ve continued to discuss throughout my blogs would be the issue of white patriarchal capitalism. A deeply ingrained ideology within our society “that suggests that heterosexual Caucasian males and gaining wealth are the most important things in this world.”(Benshoff). In my blogs I’ve discussed the issues concerning women in film, masculinity, femininity, and even the portrayal of a few minority groups today. However, one topic I’ve yet to discuss is the issue surrounding homosexuality within film.

            As I mentioned earlier, society is brought up around the ideology of white patriarchal capitalism. Therefore heterosexual characters are often the main characters in many films today.  When you look at romance films, for example, you see two (typically white) heterosexual couples. “In these films not only is heterosexuality considered better than other sexual orientations, it is presented as the only orientation” (Benshoff). When homosexuals are presented they usually take the role of the supporting character.  Although viewers are becoming more aware and accepting of homosexuality. There are still a number of people who still feel uncomfortable with the idea. Most people are only comfortable with the topic unless it is presented in a comic way. When the concept of homosexuality was first being introduced in early film, the pansy stereotype was used to distinguish homosexual males from straight ones. The pansy stereotype showcased men acting in a very feminine manner. This stereotype can easily be associated with many different shows and films today. One television show that immediately comes to mind is the show Will and Grace.

            Will and Grace was a popular American television sitcom about a man named Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and his best friend Grace Adler. The show featured two other supporting characters named Karen Walker, a rich socialite, and Jack McFarland another homosexual character. Jack’s character plays the stereotypical role of a homosexual man. He carries himself in a very feminine manner. Jack’s character is very flamboyant and shallow. He lives a very unstable life drifting from boyfriends to boyfriend and job to job. One other thing to note about the show is the fact that it is a comedy. As I mentioned before, most people only feel comfortable with homosexuality if it is presented in a comic way. There is rising of homosexual characters being presented in a the media, however these characters are more often than not placed in shows and movies that have a comic feel to it.

In contrast homosexual women are stereotyped as being very masculine. Dot Jones, an actress from the popular television show Glee, is scheduled to play a lesbian in the comedy Are You There Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea.The following clip features a promo with the Dot Jones and her fellow co-star Laura Pepron.

            As you can see from the clip, Jones’s character is depicted as a very masculine homosexual woman. It’s also important to point out that just like Will and Grace this show also happens to be a comedy.

The reason why people have certain stereotypical images of homosexuals is because of films and television shows that help reinforce these images. Changing the way homosexuals are presented may help change the way people view them.

Work Cited :

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.

"Will & Grace (TV Series 1998–2006) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 28 May 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157246/>.

Rating Red Headed Woman

      Last week in my Cinema class, I was placed in a group that was assigned to come up with our own Rating system. We were then asked to rate a film that was watched in class based on our own system. In this blog I thought I’d rate another movie based on the ratings we’ve come up with, but I’ll begin by explaining what the different rating categories are.

Our Rating system is modeled as a suggested advisory to the audience rather than implementing restrictions. Its main concepts are not to discriminate age groups, which will give film makers the freedom to create movies without restrictions that can potentially discourage talent and creativity. The focus is mainly on the content of the movie, and the freedom of watching movies. It’s the responsibility of the audience and parents to monitor their children.

            We have created three rating systems:

1.      Family rated (F): Movies that have a family rating are intended and are appropriate for all audiences. An advisory for this kind of movie would be, very minimal violence (effects of violence are not depicted in explicit ways), and suggestive language. What you can expect to not see in a family rated movie would be anything pertaining to: sex, drugs, alcohol, blood, smoking, and explicit violence.

2.      Moderate Rated (MO): A movie that is rated as Moderate is acceptable for all audiences with parental advisory SUGGESTED for viewers under 12. The movie will contain moderate levels of physical violence and may contain: sex (no nudity), blood (no gore), murder, drugs, alcohol, and the use of profane language are acceptable in these films.

3.      Mature Rated (M): A movie that is rated mature contains explicit sex and violence. Parental guidance is highly advised for audiences under the age of 18, however it is the responsibility of the audience to be cautious of a mature rated movies. A mature rated movie will contain a high level of violence that may contain the following: sex (nudity), blood (gore), murder, illegal drug and alcohol use, and profane language.

The film Red Headed Women is about a gold digging seductress named Lillian (Red) who falls in love with one of her fellow business employees named Bill. Despite the fact that he is married, Red continuously tries to seduce him in anyway that she can. Bill unable to resist eventually gives in and when Bill’s wife Irene discovers that he has been unfaithful she divorces him. After the divorce Bill and Red get married, but little does he know that he’s not the only man in Red’s life. In fact, she has two other men that she is secretly seeing behind his back. When Bill gets suspicious of Red’s odd behavior he hires a private investigator to find out whether she has been cheating on him. When he discovers the truth he immediately divorces Red and starts to realize that he made a huge mistake with Irene. The story ends happily with Bill and Irene getting back together.

Based on the rating system I’ve constructed with my group. I would rate the film Red Headed Women as Moderate. Although no nudity is displayed in the film, there was a lot of references to sex/sexuality. None of which would be appropriate for a Family Rated movie.  The content/plot of the film is targeted to a more mature audience (Teenagers included). The film also contains some violence at the end of the film. When Bill discovers that Red has been unfaithful he decides to leave her. Red unable to control herself shoots Bill out of anger(no blood).There is also one other scene where Bill  gets angry at Red for causing his divorce and hits her out of frustration.

The examples given all demonstrate why  it is rated as Moderate. Although the film contains mature material it doesn't contain anything that would  be strongly inappropriate for teenagers or pre-teens. 

BLACK AND WHITE BUDDY FILM

      During the World War II era a new image of masculinity was beginning to be formed. Films that centered on male relationships or “bromances” were starting to make there way into Hollywood. These films known as, buddy films, centered on the adventurers of two white (heterosexual) men and the developing friendship between the two characters . Not long afterward a new formula was coming into play called the black and white buddy formula. These films are Hollywood comedy or action-adventure films, or TV comedies that pair an African American star with a white star. This strategy was first used by the film industry to attract both white/ black audiences and still continues to be used today

            One television show that immediately comes to mind when I think of this type of buddy system would be the hit comedy-drama show Psych.  The show ‘Psych’ is about a U.S detective named Shawn Spencer who pretends to be psychic in order to keep his job. Shawn’s father is a police officer and growing up he was always encouraged to be more watchful of his surroundings. “His father told him that he must take note even the smallest detail that is present in his surroundings”. As a result Shawn has developed exceptional observational skills and photographic memory that makes him a good detective, and helps him appear to be psychic. Burton ‘Gus’ Guster is an African American man and he plays Shawn’s best friend. He plays the role of the supporting character and is one of the only people that actually knows about Shawn’s secret. The series follows these two characters and different situations that come their way.

Rush Hour is another example of a buddy film, however it doesn’t follow the same format as Psych does. Instead of focusing on the relationship between a black and white man, the movie focuses on the ‘friendship’ between an Asian and black one. Rush Hour is an action-comedy film about two cops named Inspector Lee and detective James Carter, who team up to save a kidnapped daughter. This film has always been a favorite of mine because of its unlikely pairing. The characters couldn’t be any more different yet have such great chemistry together. This film is different than most traditional Hollywood films because instead of centering the story around two white male characters. It focuses two non-white characters that come from different minority groups.

One thing I realized that I’ve never given much thought to before was the absence of buddy-buddy relationship between women in film. The only film that really comes to mind would be Charlie’s Angles. Hopefully some changes will start being made soon so that friendships in women films could also be shown.

Work Cited :Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.