Masculinity in Films

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the various roles of male characters in film, with an emphasis on the masculinity factor. It discusses the various methods by which the masculine characters emphasize their role, especially highlighting the use of weaponry and the amount of violence. In particular, it studies the films, "The Seven Samurai," by Akira Kurosawa, and "The Magnificent Seven", by John Sturges.

From the Paper:

"In Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven, both samurais and the cowboys are portrayed as typical masculine characters that are always out-of-date, relic of earlier eras who are looking for a position in their respective societies. Both samurai and cowboys wander the streets of their respective cities, impoverished and unemployed, looking for a job or a cause to suit them. In Seven Samurai the warriors are destitute because their former employers, feudal warlords, are being defeated in battle and becoming obsolete. As a result, hundreds flock to the cities to look for temporary residence while they search for a new warlord to serve. In this confused mass of real samurai, cowardly samurai, false samurai, and samurai-in-training, Kurosawa depicts five real, experienced, and honorable samurai."

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