[Note: Reader Kate Dobson, a second wife, mother and stepmother is joining the blogging team at www.glennsacks.com. Kate's previous posts can be seen here.--GS]

In this PJTV video two filmmakers review old movies as they discuss the feminization of male characters today. Their theory is that today's movie makers believe that in order to create strong female characters, they must weaken male characters. These two reviewers disagree; they believe that what really results is an ugly androgyny in the characters seen in current films. Strong women do not exist in the movies today like they did in the films of the 1930’s and 1940’s because they play next to men who are presented as wimps.

An example given is the 1930’s movie, “Bringing Up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. Grant’s character was a bit nerdy but not like the men in today’s films. His character was a dedicated scientist while men like the lead character in the movie “Knocked Up” are portrayed as losers.

Examples given of strong men from the old movies are Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, and Clark Gable. These stars played to men’s strengths and portrayed traditional roles that men play in real life. They were men’s men and their characters made no apologies for being so. This was also the period when women could carry films such as Ginger Rogers in “Dear Comrade.” The stronger the male character, the stronger the female could be in return, as in many of Bette Davis’ and Barbara Stanwyck’s films.

The great romantic comedies of Hollywood like the Hepburn-Tracy films, have also changed and not for the better. Today the male lead continues to look foolish but the female character is made to look strong and in control at all times. One example is “What’s Up Doc?”, a remake of “Bringing Up Baby.” Ryan O’Neal is as nerdy as Cary Grant was in the original movie but Barbra Streisand in no way resembles the screwball that Katharine Hepburn portrayed in the original film.

The question is posed: What happens to a society that tries to erase the hard-wired differences between men and women? The answer offered is that society winds up with a lot of dwarfed, thwarted men. They go on to ask where are the balanced men in movies today…where is the Gary Cooper or Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant of today?

The video can be viewed here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Men and the Media, Misandry, Advertising, TV, Movies & Gender. You can trackback from your own site.