Yeesh, late start on this one. My bad, combination not being here and forgetting when I finally got back. ANYHOO...
How is masculinity viewed? As times and styles change, so do how we view eachother and ourselves. The changes between the old and new versions of Shaft help to show how these views have changed over time. It shows the a more defined ideal of what is viewed as being a man and what that desirable person is like for the time.
In the original version of Shaft, we see your typical "Love Machine". Finishing the job while getting laid along the way. That pretty much explains his character throught the movie pretty well. When asked by another officer where he was going, he simply responds "To get laid, where are you goin?" and then laughs. He displays his sexuality very openly and it intimidates others. It was mentioned about how he reacts (or doesn't) to the gay bartender. I don't feel this was so much of his possibility of being open to homosexuality, but that he was so sure of himself sexually, he had no reason to be affected by it. Not to say that means he doesn't have a tough side to him as well as sexual. He clearly states in various ways not to screw with him and doesn't back down to anyone.
I haven't personally seen the 2000 remake of Shaft, but thanks to the reading and the power of the internet, I have a basic idea at least. In this version, he is definitely showing a much more violent side. A lot less love and a lot more screw you. The idea of masculinity is leaning much more on the tough side. Living in this time, we can see that in a lot more movies today. We see the hero as the tough guy who can beat up everyone else. It shows that we as a society view things differently than back during the time of the original Shaft. Samuel L. Jackson is often viewed as that tough guy in movies so it makes sense why he was chosen to play a tougher part. It's a stark contrast to the nature of the original Shaft.
However, what caught my attention alot was the idea of differences between race. I think the scene with the pen and the mug expresses the movie for me. When they point eachother out as being not so white or black, kinda shows that they're not as different as we make them out to be. I honestly saw the most difference in the black community itself. We see Bumpy as the richest character in the film which conflicts with how we often see things. Regardless as how he obtained his money, he lives a much more luxurious life compared to many living on the streets. I'm not really sure how I should close this, so you can just close it yourself, SHITTY! (bleh, that was stupid even for me)
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I really like your explanation for Shaft's lack of reaction to the gay bartender's actions, because Shaft wasn't homophobic but I don't think he'd ever actually respond to those advances.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I see your point about the scene with the pen and the mug, I had a different interpretation. I felt like Shaft was kind of taking the cop's words and using them against him, in a sense making them equals. I felt like in that moment the issue of color was just made ridiculous, because neither one of them is actually black or white, and they were simply two men.
Bumpy was wealthy and had the standard of living he did because he was a gangster who had allied himself with the Mafia, who then turned against him. Although the political context in this movie isn't that overt, and it was assumed in the 70s that most of the audience would jsut know it, it's important for understanding this movie.
ReplyDeleteGood point about Shaft's sexual confidence. But how does that tie into the racial stereotypes discussed in the reading?