Masculine Hollywood

This chapter turns from female stars, the objects of cinematic fascination and representation, to the men who control the apparatus. It examines three guises of the male filmmaker: the producer, the writer, and the director. In each case, through a comparison of a studio-era film with two more recent ones, the chapter examines how the backstudio picture locates “creativity” in both the business and the art of filmmaking. It also discusses how backstudios subordinate the male filmmaker and his art to questions of institutional power, with his subordination helping to glamorize or romanticize his figure. Finally, it argues that the genre subsequently equates a masculinized—and white—view of cinema with the cultural aura of “Hollywood.” The chapter closes with a look at the indie black filmmaker as depicted by Baadasssss! (2003).