"Here's looking at you, kid"

I started an odd habit when i came to essex. i had a couple of seminars on american west and cinema for which i had to watch films. some of them were westerns and i continued this even when it wasnt required anymore, partially because i got a bit bored in my room. anyhow, i began to look at the issues of race and gender (apart from some others). i think films are always kind of a reflection of the society which they are made in. the best example ive in my mind is the magnificent seven films. the series began in 1960 and went until 1972. the first thing is that in all the films mexicans are always presented a bit inferior or bad. the bad ones are mexicans from the beginning. and the ones who need help are mexican as well. and peasants while the (predominately white) us-americans are the ones who help. tho the gunslingers have an unsteady life and very much likely to die in a proper shoot out they represent the ultimate values of individualism and freedom. they do what they want and they will defend their right to do what they want. and on the way to it they will help everyone who cant do what they want. whatsoever, the sequel guns of the magnificent seven was made in '69 and has a very interesting scene, i think. amongst the seven there are an one-armed and a black man. they dont get along very well until the black prevents the one-armed from cutting off the healthy arm. after this there is the scene where both are sitting around a cup of coffee (there is always some coffee in westerns..). and then comes the line "You tell me how it is to be a cripple and I'll tell you how it is to be black." quite apparently, black is more or less the same thing like being crippled (or disabled). both have less chances to do something and experience disadvantages in various forms. it suggests you have to be white and healthy to have success. and this in the context of late 60s america. the film reflects the whole debate around civil rights which took place then and takes a standpoint. furthermore, there are not many black actors in early westerns anyway. i remember morgan freeman in unforgiven. but he dies during the film.

yesterday i was watching captain hornblower on tv. the film takes (made in the 1950s) place in 1809 and hes an english captain with a secret mission which turns out to be useless and afterwards he defends the crown's interests on sea. at one point he has to take up an english woman with her (female, southamerican) maid. 'surprisingly' both the captain and the woman fall in love. it's unsuccessful in the beginning, but in the end they get each other. and it's kind of a forbidden love. both are married. however their partners die so it becomes legitimate. the thing i was thinking about was a scene in the first half of the film. both characters are facing each other and it's coming to a kiss. what struck me was that the woman is shorter than the man. she has to look up to him, in every respect. and he can look down, quite obviously. there are not many films where the woman is taller than the man, at least no love films. Casablanca came to my mind as well. bogart is taller than bergman. he can look down and say to her "here's looking at you, kid." and look up to me. maybe im not really good in films but only one came to my mind where the woman is taller than the man. it's a james bond film with grace jones. she is taller. but bond's attributes balance it (and his manly behaviour too) and she is one of the bads. it just seems as if films confirm the stereotype that the man have to be taller than the woman in a relationship. if it's not the case there is always some joking about.

the last film which comes to my mind now is how to loose a guy in ten days. i dont really like the film. it's the same old stereotypes. first thing is, although both have more or less good careers (guess what?!), he is working for an advertisement agency with emphasis in sports (and of course he loves sports) while she is working for a woman magazine, specialised in how to dress for men and to impress them. i mean there are more important things. and the final is when he stops her cab on the way to the airport and asks her to marry him. a real nice one.

i got a bit lost now but i would be happy about comments. there are definitely many many more films around which could be taken for one or the other side of the argument. maybe this last one: notes on a scandal. it looks quite good at the beginning. she has an affair with one of her students and seems to be independent. but in the end she is returning to her middle-class marriage where she gets the security. well.