In this term paper the construction of black masculinity and black male characters in Blaxploitation movies and Hood Movies will be compared to analyze if the two periods of filmmaking have created another view on the black masculine. To make the two genres comparable in such a limited scope I will focus on two movies, each of which can be regarded as prototypical for its genre. Considering the ‘Blaxploitation’ genre I will focus on the movie Shaft (1971) by Gordon Parks. The Hood movie I chose is John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood (1991), which will be called Boyz in the rest of this term paper.
Anybody who has seen movies featuring black male protagonists in major roles – like Bad Boys or Django Unchained – might have noticed that often those black male characters are depicted in certain and often clichéd ways. This depiction can be described by another term which is ‘construction’. What those films actually do is a construction of a black masculinity through means of acting, filming techniques or even the choice of the actor, especially with regard to his outward appearance.
The black male character has been a very central figure in American literature and movies for a long time. Considering movies it can be argued that for roughly one century there have been constructions of African-American males in American cinema starting with the highly racist film The Birth of a Nation. Nowadays virtually everybody will know movies that feature black masculine main protagonists. Two periods which can be considered as highly influential with regard to the construction of black masculinity are the early seventies and the early nineties because they originated two important genres. These two genres will be referred to as ‘Blaxploitation’ and ‘hood movie’ throughout this text.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Introducing Black Masculinity
2.1 Femininity vs. Masculinity
2.2 Black vs. White masculinity
3. Genre Definitions
3.1 Blaxploitation
3.2 Hood movies
4. Analysis
4.1 Analysis of Shaft
4.2 Analysis of Boyz N The Hood
4.3 Comparison of Shaft and Boyz N The Hood
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper investigates the construction of black masculinity in American cinema by comparing two influential genres, Blaxploitation and Hood movies, using the films Shaft (1971) and Boyz N The Hood (1991) as primary case studies to analyze how these films represent black male identities and social roles.
- The theoretical foundations of masculinity, femininity, and racialized gender constructs.
- Historical and political contexts of the Blaxploitation era and the early 1990s hood film movement.
- Comparative analysis of the hypermasculine "badass" archetype versus the "conscious" paternal model.
- The influence of absent or present father figures on the development of black male identity.
- The role of film as a medium for both reinforcing and challenging stereotypes regarding black masculinity.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Analysis of Shaft
Shaft is a detective movie from 1971 with black private eye John Shaft as major protagonist. It has a very simple plot with Shaft being hired by the black mobster Bumpy Jonas to find his daughter who was kidnapped by the white mafia. To complete his mission Shaft gets support from his former friend Ben Buford, the leader of a group of black militants from Harlem. Due to Shaft’s central role throughout the movie, the analysis will primarily focus on the construction of black masculinity on the basis of his character compared to other characters.
The opening sequence of the film (00:00:01 – 00:05:00) introduces Shaft in a very interesting way. Even if he is only shown walking through the streets of Manhattan, the spectator learns a lot about Shaft’s qualities as black man through the lyrics of Isaay Hayes’ famous song Theme from Shaft. He is introduced as being “sexual, […] loyal, […] race-conscious, […] brave [and] complex” (Cowger 2004, p.22) or rather: a strong and sexually appealing black masculine character. Besides he is presented as a ‘cool guy’ with his fashionable leather jacket and the way he crosses the street without looking for cars giving a car driver the finger. The effect of that introduction is that the spectator has a certain expectation considering Shaft’s performance in the rest of the movie, namely that he will be a tough, masculine character and potentially will seduce a couple of women throughout the movie.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research objective of comparing the construction of black masculinity in Blaxploitation and Hood movies using Shaft and Boyz N The Hood.
2. Introducing Black Masculinity: Discusses the theoretical framework of gender performance and distinguishes between black and white masculinity through stereotypes and societal power structures.
3. Genre Definitions: Defines the historical, political, and economic contexts that gave rise to the Blaxploitation genre and the subsequent emergence of Hood movies in the 1990s.
4. Analysis: Provides a detailed examination of Shaft and Boyz N The Hood, comparing how each film constructs and presents black male identity, followed by a comparative conclusion between the two.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, noting that while both genres emerged from similar financial and racial circumstances, they represent vastly different models of black masculinity.
Keywords
Black Masculinity, Blaxploitation, Hood Movies, Shaft, Boyz N The Hood, Gender Construction, Hypermasculinity, Race, Identity, Paternal Role, Cinema, African American, Representation, Stereotypes, Film Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper explores how black masculinity is constructed in two distinct film genres, Blaxploitation and Hood movies, by analyzing specific prototypical films from these periods.
What genres are examined in the study?
The research focuses on the Blaxploitation genre of the early 1970s and the "hood" or "New Black Realism" films of the early 1990s.
What is the central research question?
The study asks whether these two periods of filmmaking created different views on black masculinity and how they compare in their depiction of black male characters.
What methodology is used to analyze the films?
The author uses a qualitative film analysis approach, focusing on character traits, dialogue, narrative scenes, and social contexts to interpret the construction of gender and racial identity.
What are the core themes discussed in the analysis?
The analysis covers themes such as hypermasculinity, the role of fatherhood, loyalty to the black community, resistance to white patriarchal structures, and the impact of the inner-city environment.
Which keywords best characterize this academic work?
Key terms include Black Masculinity, Blaxploitation, Hood Movies, Gender Construction, Cinema, and Paternal Role.
How does the movie "Shaft" construct masculinity?
The film constructs masculinity through a "badass" hypermasculine hero who possesses physical strength, sexual appeal, and a strong sense of loyalty to his own people while fighting white authorities.
How does "Boyz N The Hood" contrast with "Shaft"?
In contrast to the hypermasculine "superhero" model of Shaft, Boyz N The Hood portrays masculinity as a social outcome, emphasizing the necessity of father figures and social consciousness to avoid the destructive cycle of gang violence.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Stephan Jaskolla (Autor:in), 2014, The Construction of Black Masculinity in Blaxploitation and Hood Movies, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/494264
