I have a report at school about gender problems in modern cinema.?

Question

Do you know anything about this topic?
really need help!
no idea what to do and where get info about it
thanks

Answer 1

If I were you (which I'm not, but you asked for advice, so . . . ), I'd try to report on the stereotyping that goes along with gender roles in the media. For example, I know plenty of gay guys in theatre, but - here's the shocker - a lot of the gay guys I know not only aren't in theatre, they also don't walk around being stuck up, worrying about whether their clothes match, and giggling like girls. A few of them even have female admirers who have no idea they're gay.

Another example would be the "quiet woman." You know the one - she wears glasses, kind of modest clothing, very little makeup, works as a librarian or something. Almost ALWAYS without variation, she's also single, portrayed as a tomboy, or both. It's another stereotype - totally not true for the majority of girls in that situation.

If you choose to go from this angle, try doing a search engine on "gender stereotyping," "homosexual stereotyping," "female stereotypes," etc. While the Yahoo! search engine is great, ask.com is also a great resource. Almost any movie out there will provide you with citable information, and a great jumping-off point for "this is what's being done, but there's still so much more to do" would be the movie "Brokeback Mountain." While the movie itself isn't exactly fantastic (unless you're a "geek" like me and enjoy studying movies from technical perspectives - the cinematography itself is beautiful ^_^), it does give a whole new view - cowboys are, according to stereotype, supposed to be "manly." They're supposed to love the cute li'l schoolmarm or the motherly tavern owner, not each other. Yet while Jack and Ennis are in a relationship, they're still portrayed as men and cowboys, not what a friend of mine likes to call "sissy gays" or "girlymen." (which is the limp-wristed, "oh mah god that looks HORRIBLE," sashaying stereotype.)

Another great stereotype-breaker is the movie RENT, which contains two GLBT couples - a lesbian couple (neither of whom is butch! What a concept!), and a couple involving a gay man and a character who is either a drag queen or a transgendered MtF (nobody seems to be entirely sure). The four characters in those relationships are shown as *people,* not just GLBT stereotypes.

And while I'm somewhat hazy on more recent movie fare, a few others you could check out would be "Wilde," "Transamerica," and "Capote."

Best of luck on your report!

Answer 2

I think I would start a report like this with the fact that in Shakespears plays, all the actors were male. That is a huge gender lead in - and you can go from that to recently released films about homosexuality, cross-dressing, gender reassignment...you get the idea.

Answer 3

Check out the movie or book Celluliod Closet by Vito Russo.

Answer 4

Also check out that movie about Brandon Tina--she was a Female to male (a woman who transitions into a man) who was raped and killed.....google her name and you will get an abundance of information. Also rent the movie--this will help you in regards to your paper. Good luck--I hope you get an A.