Men find themselves searching for their position in a world in which gender conceptions are drastically changed and redefined. The past discussions of women’s roles have left their male counterparts in an undefined, blank space. Modern popular culture, such as the movie industry, uses the elusiveness of modern gender conceptions to question the antique hierarchy of the white male protagonist as the hero and savior of the world. Walter Hollstein (Was vom Manne uebrig blieb - Krise und Zukunft des straken Geschlechts) and R.W. Connell (Men and the Boys) investigate in their works the shift within masculine identity. In their research they make an attempt to answer the questions whether men need to be heroes, what roles their bodies play and how childhood (in regards to the parent-child relationship) effects the individual conception of masculinity. Chris Holmlund explores The Masculinity as Multiple Masquearde as the reinforcement of hegemonic power relations. And in Hard Bodies – Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era Susan Jefferson provides a detailed observation of the beginnings of openly emphasized masculine body images in the 1980s.
The result, is the strive of movie directors to create protagonists who are the representation of such a lost, white, heroic individual. Does this description of a lost, masked, lonesome hero sound familiar? Indeed, Director Christopher Nolan shapes this character in his Dark Knight trilogy. But how did he manage to change a cultural icon from the 20th century, a man in purple tights, into the dark cynical postmodern anti-hero?
My Bachelor thesis is: Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy cinematicly denounces Batman as the agent for the masculine crisis in modern Hollywood.
In order to proof this thesis, my paper scientifically analyzes the effects used in the trilogy to highlight the change of masculine gender conception and where it fails to accomplish this goal.
First of all, the paper starts with the cinematography, Nolan uses to reinforce the theme of an orphaned, masked, vigilante superhero questioning the hierarchy of society. Low key lighting reinforces the dark, cynical mood transmitted in the movie. The various ways of framing the shots that underline a hero who physically flies above the roofs of Gotham and metaphorically above the law. Speed and length of shots draw a clear distinction between Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman.
Further more, the director's use of the mis-en-scene...
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theory on the depiction of the male in Hollywood cinema – The origin of the crisis
- The man(1)y face of Batman - The Rise of a Cultural Icon
- Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy
- Cinematography
- Mis-en-Scene
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy as a cinematic representation of the masculine identity crisis in modern Hollywood. The paper argues that the trilogy's depiction of Batman as a complex, multifaceted character reflects a broader cultural shift in how masculinity is portrayed and understood.- Masculine Identity Crisis in Modern Culture
- Batman as a Cultural Icon
- The Role of Gender in Hollywood Cinema
- Cinematic Techniques in Representing Masculinity
- The Influence of the Dark Knight Trilogy on Contemporary Culture
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The introduction sets the stage by exploring the enduring popularity of the Batman character, particularly in the context of Nolan's trilogy. It establishes the film's commercial success and its potential for deeper cultural analysis.
- Chapter two explores the historical development of the Batman character and his evolving representations of masculinity. It delves into the origins of gender-oriented film studies and discusses the various forms of masculinity that have been prevalent in Hollywood cinema over the past decades.
- Chapter three focuses on analyzing the cinematography and mise-en-scène of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. It examines how these cinematic elements contribute to the portrayal of Batman's identity as a self-doubting, complex hero. The chapter also introduces various supporting characters who represent contrasting forms of masculinity, further emphasizing the themes of struggle and uncertainty.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this paper include the masculine identity crisis, Hollywood cinema, Batman as a cultural icon, gender representation, cinematography, mise-en-scène, and the Dark Knight trilogy. The paper delves into the ways in which these elements intertwine to contribute to a broader understanding of contemporary masculinity and its portrayal in popular culture.- Quote paper
- Sascha Ranke (Author), 2013, The Masculine Identity Crisis in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight Trilogy", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/266772
