After watching the film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' I immediatly was given an impression of how male identity was portrayed in the 1990s.
Violence is one of the main themes shown in and throughout the film, although we don't always see it happening. The males play a big part in the violence, it is almost seen as the 'fun' in their lives, along with the amount of money they have to show their power. whether it is seriously hurting somebody to get it, or purchasing drugs. The actor Guy Ritchie was said to have been influenced by Quinton Tarantino.
Critics such as the Sun in 1998 had great things to say about the film, the Sun newspaper said we would be 'lost' without these sort of films and that the not so famous films should stand back and let the 'leary lads have a go'. Although other opinions came from the Sunday Times, and they were saying that the new 'lad style was not refreshing', the film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels' was also seen as 'sexist and facist' showing that this sort of gangster themed films were not rated the best sort of film. Even Guy Ritchie was slated for bringing in 'this sort of film'.
The cycle of films was paralleled by a stream of memoirs from real-life villains and the deaths of all three Kray brothers and the return of Ronnie biggs from Brazil.
David Gauntlett has said that 'studies around the media are too simple', as an audience we never know if the film is affecting our personality which may happen after watching the film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'. Young children may also be affected by the film as the violence is rated. In society, violence in video games and
The film was also seen as a gangster light film, the violence is made humorous as we don't see it throughout the film, it is also things we don't see everyday so we almost get a 'fake' view of it.
The violence in the film is exaggerated, unbelievable and unrealistic and as an audience we know that it is not real violence, the mise- en - scene draws attention to the males in the film, making them seem more violent than they actually are.
Laura Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze' is represented in the film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'. Mulvey's theory was that women are placed in Hollywood only for the pleasure of men, assuming that the audience of the film will be only men.
Three women are shown in the film, but all in different ways. One lady is purely to look at, placed in 'Harrys Sex Shop' she is made to dance naked in the background of the scene showing that she is there for men to look at, proving Mulveys theory.
Another woman is shown in a completely different way, she is 'head' of the poker game between a few of the males in the film and puts the message across clearly that she isn't to be messed about. The other woman in the film is shown through violence, she doesnt have a big role througouht the film and is only shown almost blowing the other characters heads off!
Two other theorys that I thought about whilst watching 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' are Theodor Adorno and John Fiske's theory.
Adorno believed that the media had a massive impact on society, in a bad way. The audience was seen as being passive and that the consuption of the audience was really bad. Adorno would there fore aregue that boys and men watching this film would become passive to this sort of 'gangster' behaviour and act as they do in the film.
Whereas Fiske believes that the male audience watching the film would respond to it in different ways, not everyone would want to copy the males in the film but some would.
One male in the film known as Big Chris, played by Vinnie Jones; who was known at the time as a hard, strong and powerful person, has a son called Little Chris. He is seen as a father type role, but also the violent thug side of him is shown in the film, this almost makes it quite comical.
Identity is shown in the film by 'Nature vs Nurture'’. Big Chris wants to show how his son should behave as a man, teaching him how to be hard and powerful and that being soft is not cool although he does show his tender side to his son, they have a reputation to keep up.
In my opinion I think that the male identity in Britain in the 1990's has changed massively. There are not so many gangsters in London, and even if there is they aren't made to be obvious and portrayed as bad and violent as they are in the film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'.
Although British men do tend to have a reputation in foreign countries as being hooligans and beer swigging thugs, especially at football tournaments, i.e The World Cup where there are special provisions to keep fans apart and away from trouble. This type of trouble happens at home too where it is notorious to have football gangs that fight eachother and lots of these thugs are not young males but some are middle aged too and have been behaving like this for all of their lives because it has been instilled in them by their fathers and males and peers they look up to. They have been brought up thinking this is the right way.
