In this report we will examine a couple of Australian movies which offer representations of Australian masculinities and discuss how men are represented and the relationship between this and questions of Australian identity. These movies are namely Crocodile Dundee (character Mick Dundee) and The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.
One point becomes evident that that the characters type symbolized in Australian movies is predominantly male centered. Australian films are inclined to show a gender intolerance towards masculinity which they consider as a representative to the culture of Australian type. All through the 20th century the image of a typical Australian as a tall, rugged man made it hard for other people to perceive about them in a different way.
According to 1 Christine Boman in his article masculinities and sexual violence in contemporary Australian drama and its film adaptations, has observed that the presence of bias in masculinity is a major characteristic in the history of Australian films and dramas and the issue with respect to concerning men and masculinity have gained a high profile on the public agenda and the decade which spanned from 1991 to 2001 in his view can be seen to engage with recent debates in their thematic treatment of masculinities `under pressure'."
Film poster for Crocodile Dundee - Copyright 1986,...
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Barry SouthgateThe above discussion focused on the more conceptual and theme structure of Australian movies that is basically trying to explain the relation of Australian ideals and values trough an analysis of the films narrative structure. In my view films are more than a narrative structure and it should also be discussed in terms of their images meaning that all searches for images depend upon some assumed background in any film.
In general, we look for visual images because they are related to some conceptual theme or topic. Our reasons for wanting specific images...