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Original Beauty and the Beast
The beast is a cursed prince, and the only way to rid the curse is to marry a woman. The beauty is allowed to leave the castle under the premise that she will return, and when she doesn't return, the beast falls ill. She learns of his suffering in a dream, and returns to the castle to marry him. The prince is restored as a man and they live happily ever after -
Snow White
Disney releases it's first animated film, Snow White -
Fantasia
A popular animation from Disney that brings inanimate objects to life, a theme used in later movies like Beauty and the Beast -
Cinderella
Disney releases another popular take on the original fairy tale, using cutting-edge technology of it's era -
Nixon Administration
Nixon set the stage for an uprising in pre post-modern masculinity through "hard-boiled" militarism, and "warm-hearted" familialism. -
Reagan Administration
Incorporated a focus on family and moral values that were popular with conseratives at the time. At this time the US was second to Europe and Japan in economic superiority, which ushered in an era of hard-edged masculinity that was born from aggressive foreign policy towards other countries -
Bush Administration
George H.W. Bush was in the same party as Reagan, but Bush had a different ideology on many things. The differences in the two candidates for 1988 revealed just how divided the republican party was. -
Lethal Weapon 2
This film highlights the career of an African-American police officer, Murtaugh. He kills only in extreme circumstances, or when provoked by evil. This film showcases the affect that assimilated African American men have on the systems of law enforcement in the US. -
Robocop 1&2
Robocop is a film that reveals the true inner self of the 90's masculine heroes, behind the tough outer shells reveals a caring, troubled and suffering person. -
The Rescuers Down Under
In this short film Disney depicts white males as unhappy and unloved and all they need is kindness and affection. Why they returned to a 250 year old tale is simply to create an image of characters becoming their "true selves", which is a theme that directly connects with Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". -
One Good Cop
In this film the message of familial loyalty continues when the main character is forgiven of his crimes and welcomed back to the police force when they find out he stole the money to provide shelter for his family. -
City Slickers
Continuing with a theme that is similar to Kindergarten Cop, City Slickers once again relives the male character going on an adventure only to find that returning to his family is more important. -
1991 Films w/ Black Male Directors
These films include movies like Boyz n the Hood, Straight Out of Brooklyn, and Jungle Fever. These films all emphasize family, and masculinity. Although, action films rarely depict a black male lead and in todays' society that is seen as a dangerous racial subtext. -
Terminator 2
Even though the terminator dies in Terminator 2, he does so because he wants his new family to be safe, and the only way to do that is to destroy himself. The "family" is the motivation for changing the hero's masculinity. -
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
The Disney version follows much of the same plot as the original. The flaw in this movie is that it gives excuses for men's aggressive behaviors, and it also suggests they should be helped to find their true inner selves. While in comparison, Kindergarten Cop showed that men can change, and that they are loving creatures under their brutal exterior. -
Kindergarten Cop
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the 80's most muscular and masculine heroes, this film showcases the transition from a hard-edged masculinity that was born out of the Reagan era, to a more nurturing masculinity.
