Cooper's KING KONG (1933): Black Masculinity between White Womanhood and White Male Capitalist Structures

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Cooper's KING KONG (1933): Black Masculinity between White Womanhood and White Male Capitalist Structures by Natalie Lewis, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Natalie Lewis ISBN: 9783638508391
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: June 6, 2006
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Natalie Lewis
ISBN: 9783638508391
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: June 6, 2006
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Essay from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,3, Free University of Berlin, course: Whiteness in American Cinema, 4 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The adventure-fantasy film King Kong, directed by Merion C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack in 1933, has deserved its place in classical Hollywood cinema for its spectacular special effects, which were completely new at the time and its introduction of the female scream to the horror picture. After more than 70 years, the movie has lost little of its fascination and film scholars have not grown tired of examing the metaphorical meaning of the ape-monster and the representation of blackness and whiteness in this Beauty and the Beast fable. In his article 'Humanizing the Beast', Thomas E. Wartenberg focusses on King Kong's transgression from the stereotypical racist representation of the Black male sexual monster of Skull Island to the romantic hero in the New York sequence. He argues that the film reverts the racism constructed in its first half and uses the second half to propagate that 'it is a mistake to see Black men as sexual monsters because they are human beings like all of us' (Wartenberg 175). Rather than rating the ape's personality in the New York sequence as a positive depiction of Black masculinity, I would argue that the stereotypical representation of the sexually aggressive black male was merely transformed into another stereotype, namely the non-threatening, desexualized noble negro; the latter no longer possesses any evil character traits but is nonetheless destructed in his inferior weakness in order to restore white womanhood to its pedestal and reinforce white capitalist male power structures.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Essay from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,3, Free University of Berlin, course: Whiteness in American Cinema, 4 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The adventure-fantasy film King Kong, directed by Merion C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack in 1933, has deserved its place in classical Hollywood cinema for its spectacular special effects, which were completely new at the time and its introduction of the female scream to the horror picture. After more than 70 years, the movie has lost little of its fascination and film scholars have not grown tired of examing the metaphorical meaning of the ape-monster and the representation of blackness and whiteness in this Beauty and the Beast fable. In his article 'Humanizing the Beast', Thomas E. Wartenberg focusses on King Kong's transgression from the stereotypical racist representation of the Black male sexual monster of Skull Island to the romantic hero in the New York sequence. He argues that the film reverts the racism constructed in its first half and uses the second half to propagate that 'it is a mistake to see Black men as sexual monsters because they are human beings like all of us' (Wartenberg 175). Rather than rating the ape's personality in the New York sequence as a positive depiction of Black masculinity, I would argue that the stereotypical representation of the sexually aggressive black male was merely transformed into another stereotype, namely the non-threatening, desexualized noble negro; the latter no longer possesses any evil character traits but is nonetheless destructed in his inferior weakness in order to restore white womanhood to its pedestal and reinforce white capitalist male power structures.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book An evaluation of the impact of gender, racial/ethnic background, social class, family and peer influence on juvenile delinquency by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Metonymy in language - traditional and cognitive approaches by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book NGO-Diplomacy - Manager Diplomat by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Gender and Education by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book The role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in today's European security architecture by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Effects of TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Das Ende der wertfreien Wissenschaft by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Immanuel Kant - Kritik der Urteilskraft § 51 by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book The significance of reading in the English class. A lesson plan with Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Political Parties in the USA - Realignment by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book How important is Web 2.0 for the tourism sector and how can the industry apply to this trend? by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde': A Geography of the Human Mind by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Drivers and Inhibitors for Diffusion of Electronic Commerce with Reference to Germany by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Towards Customer Equity: should marketers shift focus from brand equity? by Natalie Lewis
Cover of the book Russian Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1917-1991 by Natalie Lewis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy