Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 - Essay Example

? Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 of Topic 4: Drawing on your Mulvey and Neale readings, as well as Tasker’s discussion, analyse the representation of masculinity in one of the Die Hard films. How is the McClane character represented as a site of identification? As spectacle? The dominance of masculinity over femininity is visible in every segment of human life. This power has occurred throughout history, is alive and well today and is likely to continue in the future. As evident in the film, masculinity has both physical and mental power over femininity. According to Carroll, John McLane in the Die Hard series is a prime example of this: ‘studies in the film field pay specific attention to the Herculean physical performances and spectacular body appearances of starring characters’ (Carroll, 2003, p. 54). Although heroines play important roles in many successful films, most of these female characters are known only in relation to the male hero. This is in part due to male domination in our society. This paper will analyse the representation of masculinity in Die Hard 2. This analysis will incorporate a survey from the works of Mulvey (1975), Neale (1983) and Tasker (2004). Die Hard 2 focuses on the story of a New York police officer, John McLane. The opening scene is set on Christmas Eve, when McLane visits his distant wife, who lives in Los Angeles (Gates 2006, p. 35). McLane has what Rzepka and Horsley (2010, p. 89) term as ‘unresolved issues’. It is because of these issues that McLane is not on good terms with his wife. Upon McLane’s arrival, he finds his separated wife at an office Christmas party; however, supposed political terrorists invade the building. The film then portrays the heroic acts of John McLane so that he can save his wife from the terrorists. In Die Hard 2, as in many action movies, masculine characters are portrayed with virile physical prowess and social dominance. Another important aspect of masculine heroes is their excessive aggression. Prior studies concerning Hollywood’s presentation of male genres have characterised Die Hard 2 as a male-driven action movie, with the ‘presentation of the lead hero as a macho man’ (Milestone & Meyer 2012, p. 50). This is due to McLane’s spectacular ability to wrestle his enemies, which is a trait of the hero in male-driven films. In fact, Carroll (2003, p. 79) comments that the ‘physical masculinity of an action hero gives a preferential tone for the action narrative’. It should be noted that the audience accepts heroism fron male characters in filmst whil, female heroism is less acceptable to movie audiences (Le Guin, 1993, p. 5). This is because of the notion that males are physically and mentally stronger than females. Rzepka and Horsley (2010, p. 61) define masculinity in film as ‘an opinion that a film-maker intends to deliver that involves physical prowess, sexual virility and aggression’. Gates (2006), Bould (2005) and Berg (2002) all support this idea in some form or another. Gates (2006, p. 58) argues that Die Hard 2 focuses on physicality; the way that McLane is displayed as a hero ‘forms a vital ingredient of a film’s visual effects’. On the other hand, Bould (2005, p. 59) states that literature on action heroes discusses the body above sexuality, race, class and nationality. In a different manner, Berg (2002, p. 80) believes that critics largely applauded the Die Hard series due to ‘John McLane’s ability to withstand physical assaults despite his age’. Thus, the physical appearance of the hero plays an important role in attracting audiences to action-oriented films such as Die Hard 2. To prove this point, imagine if Rowan Atkinson were to play the hero role in the film. While he is widely accepted among the public as a comedian, he has never been shown as a serious action or romantic hero. This is probably due to the weaker physique of Atkinson compared to that of typical action heroes. One thing that cannot be argued against is age, which is no barrier for action heroes if they appear muscular. In this way, the body has a determining role in the success of an action movie such as Die Hard 2. For example, Bruce Willis, who plays the role of McLane, first appeared in the Die Hard series at the age of 35. This is typically past ‘the age of presenting a youthful masculine image’ (Carroll 2003, p. 112). Despite this fact, the movie was still a box office hit. Every movie of the Die Hard series has focused on the physical toughness of the leading character rather than his age (West & Lay 2003, p. 55). John McLane continues to be a tough character with a hard masculine personality who has the ability to cope with pain, habitual brutality and repeated punishments. It is for this reason that the critics applaud him and the audience accepts this ageing hero. In Die Hard 2 when terrorists enter the building, McLane is able to use his masculinity to single-handedly fight off ten men (Benshoff & Horsley 2010, p. 91). As Bould (2005, p. 80) points out, this implies that masculinity is associated with superhuman powers. As such, action legends can withstand hardships, think quickly, overpower obstacles that normal humans cannot tackle and show machismo in a flamboyant manner. Under normal circumstances, it is extremely unlikely that one man could take down ten other men. However, in Die Hard 2, McLane does not stop fighting. This is in contrast to his opponents, ‘who lose their lives, machinery, and most importantly, their money’ (Gates 2006, p. 66). To put it another way, McLane also uses mental power along with physical power to vanquish his enemies. Thus, Die Hard 2 represents masculinity in terms of superior physical as well as greater mental power. Die Hard captures the art of masculinity. McLane displays hard-core power that depicts men who physically battle their way out of problems. Masculinity is also represented as a measure of intelligence. This is evident from the scene in which McLane interferes with the fuel tank of his enemies’ plane, as noted by Mulvey (1975, p. 7). Neale’s analysis shows that it can be acknowledged that one common expectation of movie audiences of the male-driven genre is the detective skill of the action hero—for example, James Bond (Neale 1983, p. 15). However, the trend for intellectual masculinity declined considerably during the late 1990s and at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with physical masculinity winning out. For example, actors such as Vin Diesel are now becoming commonplace and provide fresh breed of physical masculinity. In fact Gates (2006, p. 111) says that the popularity of Die Hard 2 can be linked to its presentation of John as a man of Herculean physique. In terms of physical appearance, Jeffords (1994, p. 100) reinforces this by explaining that a lead actor is expected to have a burly and macho personality. The reason why physical appearance is so important in how the audience perceives the character is due to the fact that it is the first thing that the audience sees. First impressions go a long way to determining whether a lead character is a hero figure or not. In addition to appearance, Carroll (2003, p. 130) says that violence was added to the attributes of masculinity in the 1980s. This was mainly because 1980s films portrayed cinematic heroes as brawlers. Consequently, brawling became the means through which male protagonists expressed themselves and were ultimately perceived. Also, there was a shift that occurred from the 1970s through 1990s that demonstrated a change from feminine action heroes to hard male body heroes; the reason for this was to gain popularity with younger audiences (Berg 2002, p. 105). According to Milestone and Meyer (2012, p. 109), McLane’s ageing body is an attack on the ego; he is denying weakness and unreliability in being so physically strong. Weakness is perceived as a feminine characteristic, whereas action is perceived as a symbol of masculinity. Thus, masculinity persists so long as a male preserves his body shape and strength. Nevertheless, a strong man with weak mental powers cannot be considered a masculine figure because of the need for a strong physical and mental appearance. In the same way, a weak man with superior mental powers also cannot be labelled a symbol of masculinity because both are required characteristics of masculinity. Die Hard 2 showcases scenes that only bring out the best attributes and characteristics of a masculine man (Benshoff & Griffin, 2011, p. 115). According to Gates (2006, p. 82), the Die Hard series produced an ultra-masculine hero in response to the weak gender ideologies portrayed in male actors the 1980s. Thus, Die Hard 2 maintains normal attributes of masculinity of the so-called authoritative male action hero; however, the film went further to construct a ‘godlike’ identity. Bruce Willis possesses superhuman character traits that enable him to outsmart all his enemies at every step of the game and survive situations that a normal man would never dare to dream of (Bould 2005, p. 119). However, there is a shift from film heroes of the late 1980s in that McLane does not show any emotions (Berg 2002, p. 140). The demonstration of any sentiment is often perceived as a feminine characteristic; McLane is hyper-masculine and so cannot show this without compromising his image. In order to remove any association with emotions, Die Hard 2 relies heavily on quick quips and catchphrases. This is in opposition to the drawn-out monologues of films in the 1980s, such as those of Woody Allen. The reduction of verbal communication means that McLane relies primarily on physical action to communicate. As a result, the ideal macho man, Bruce Willis, expresses his thoughts and feelings in a physical way (West & Lay, 2003, p. 90). While the 1970s style of masculinity forced lead characters to define distinct attributes, the lead character in Die Hard 2 possesses both ultra-masculinity and authoritative masculinity (Tasker, 2004, p. 76). To put it another way, he is both powerful and quick-witted at the same time. The battle between ultra-masculinity ande feminised masculinity of the 1970s has survived through to today’s cinematic trends. The presence of feminised masculinity in John McLane in Die Hard 2 is depicted through his toned-downt features, which have ensured that the movie remains extremely popular to this day. In particular, its appeal reveals the simultaneous resurgence of the machismo that John displays (Jeffords, 1994, p. 66). In conclusion, the Die Hard series, particularly Die Hard 2, epitomises how Hollywood and other film industries around the world portray masculinity through film. A troubled police officer manages to redeem his personality but only through hard labour. Masculinity is prevalent throughout Die Hard 2, and the traits that embody such decisive prowess traverse the film. Thus, it can be said that contemporary film-making has allowed the development and introduction of newer methods for character narratives; this allows audiences to expect more traits and dimensions in the presentation of masculinity in film. References Benshoff, HM & Griffin, S 2011, America on film: Representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, New York. Berg, CR 2002, Latino images in film: Stereotypes, subversion, and resistance, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX. Bould, M 2005, Film noir: From Berlin to Sin City, Wallflower Press, London. Carroll, BE 2003, American masculinities: A historical encyclopedia, The Moschovitis Group, New York. Gates, P 2006, Detecting men: Masculinity and the Hollywood detective film, State University of New York Press, New York. Jeffords, S 1994, Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ. Le Guin, U 1993, Earthsea Revisioned. Cambridge, New York. Milestone, K & Meyer, A 2012, Gender and popular culture, Polity Press, Cambridge. Mulvey, L 1975, ‘Visual pleaure and narrative cinema’, Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 6–18. Neale, S 1983, ‘Masculinity as spectacle’, Screen, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 2–17. Rzepka, C & Horsley, L 2010, A companion to crime fiction, Wiley Blackwell Publishing, New York. Tasker, Y 2004. Action and adventure cinema, Routledge, London. West, R & Lay, F 2003, Subverting masculinity: Hegemonic and alternative versions of masculinity in contemporary culture, Rodopi, Amsterdam. Read More