Ch.rpter Fou r

Boyz, Boyz, Boyz: New BlackCinema and Black Masculinity

The nouon oi r ' ' -ew Black Cinerna rs:r per iodrzat ion, drawing on andexpanding Tonrrny Lotr 's (1991) denrarcat ion of Blacl< Cinema: Ear lyFi lms (1890- l '120); Eer l ,v Soundies and Race Fi l r r . r (1920-194- i ) ; I 'os.WarProblenr Fi lms (1945-1965); lhe L.A- Rebel l ion (roughly 1967 1975);and (iontenrporlry Filrns. which I refer to as New Black Cincma (roughly191i5 t<., prcserrt). N-ew lrlack Cinema .rs a period of hlack fi ln roughlybegins wirh Spikc Lce's She's ( lot t t r H,r i1 ' l l (1986) and is fur ther markedb1 rhe parrropatrrrn ,ri .r secr,nd !lcr)clir lror (second to thc LA Rcbell ionfi lrnmakers) of f i lnr sch<xrl rrairrt 'd f i lrnrnakurs lrke l,ee, Regin.rld and War-r ingron Fludl in, Iohn Singleton, lnd Robert ' lownsend. Hou'ever, thequesr i<;n renr.r ins: what is ncrv ebour New Black Cinema? - l hc "new" inNew Black Cincnra relers to thc momcnt <;i enrcrg,ence and the productrveand aesthecic outcorne of this rnonrent. lJseir-rl in understanding thisr lomenr are I l ) rec convcrgent ideas:- l re,v EI l iss (1989a) matr i festo on the"New Black Aesrhct ic" ; Cornel \ f fest 's ( l 990) "new cul tural pol i t ics of d i f -ference"; and l t ' lanthir Diawara's (1993r) forrnal analysis of b lack f i lm's"new rel l rsr t t . "

In 19139, - f rey [ . l l is 's (1989a and b) "The New Black Aesthct ic" iden't i f ied a current of cul tural producr ion which included rrot only f i lm, butalso music, l i ttrarure:rnd theatre.l For Ell is the New Black Aesthetic, alscrknown as the NBA, was a revival in rhe black arts, a " [synthesis of l thelasr two black art revivals, rhe Har lem l lenaissance and the Black ArtsMovemenr" (El l is 1989b, 2-50). BIack rr t is ts educated in a post-Civ i lRights era, ar t rsts \ r ! ,h() were character ized as "cul tur 'a l mulat toes," btackartisrs who u.erc erlhcr raised or cducated rn middlc class, predorninateiy

79

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T=;1t2111;1Zr ti11::=

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l:;rili i1i:11:ziilj.,,1i1;+:tz':1t:iz'i1i1:rl1:tt=i:1=:

ii i:=1 :zi :::1

zZlZiz:,: ,1;i:it

*ts ;g

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t=a?

82 t*tYs, BoYz, Brtis

black inJepe r lcnt [ i l rn, Diawara ProF()scs "rw(r par,rdigms of bhck r inema arsahet ics." two i lcsthet ic rrajecrorres jn which rhe cor lvcnt ional andHol lywood cl . rssrcrt narrat ive dimensions rr i r inre and space are deploycJand rc-deploved as black cinernatic statenlen!s- l irr f) ian'ara, space ,rndtinre becorne vectors of re schcrnatizeti l)n and rc thematization:

I j l : rck hlrs Lrsc spatral nrrr i t lorr a\ . r wrv ol rcvcalrrrB ancl l r r r l<rng

l l l . rck sp.rcr ' ' t l r r t havc bccrr scl)aretcr l ard sLrpprcsstd by \ lht tc r t r rcs,

end.rs.r nrc.rn. r ' f val ida( ing I i l : rck cLr l rurc. . .th l rmph.rrrs ' rn t r r rc, orr t l rc othcr h.rnd. rcrccl ; th l I l laek Amcrrcarr

ar hc/shc crpr 'ndcrs him/hcrrc l f r r r r r l r I r r r t t rcrral corrdrtrr>n ot cvrry

d.rv l i ic rn Arncrrcrn \oc!cty l l . l r .

I ) iawara eort t inucs fur ther to cr tcgor iz( rhe rpat ia l lv re or iented, at r inres

non- l inedr, n.rrrat ives (e.g. , l )augbters of t l t Dust) as "cxpressive and cele-

bratory of [J l . rck crr l ture." .nd rhc tcmlx)ral l ] fe or ientated' l incar ("Black-

t imes nerrar ive") rarrat ivcs ls "existcnfral ist perfor rances of Bl lck people

against pol ic ing, r .c ism, and genocide" 113).I t is [) iarulra's second categ()ry of "r irne l t . tsed" narrat ives rhat are of

interesr tor d iscussion herc. For rhcse I l i r r i l t i \ 'es are inevi tably rnascul intstnarrat ive\ of conr ing , r f : rgc and r i tc 's ( , { pass.rgc. Indeed, Diawara emphasizes the bl:ck n3rr i t ive of / ies dt ' Pass.gc specifrcal l ,r in referencc ttr Br,1?N t fu l loo, ! . l t rs i r r rh is discussion rh.r t Dr. t rvara e{ i lh( , rutes thc New BtactRealisrn: " ln thcse [ i lnrs l ]ui .e, Dcep ( ' tar, Br. ' ,z N Lhe Hrxtdl. . . to he.tnran is t .r be responsible for the Black c,t t t tnttrnity, and to protcct i t agalnstthe aforcnrrrr t ioncd dangers lgenocide,. l r r rgs, the pol ice, cr iminal i ry l" (2-11And furthcrnrore:

Thc ncq rcal i r rn f r lnrs i rn i r r tc thc cxi \ tcnt r ta l i tv of urban l r fc i r r America. Just a. in rcal l r ic rhc yout l r arc pul lcr l bcrwccn hrp hop l r fc sr l lc 'g;rng l r fc. . rnJ cducat i<;n, wc scc rn rht f r l rns ncrghborhoods thar pul lcdbcrwtcn ernR nrcnbcrs, rappcrs, .r ld cduc.rtr, 'n pronc krds. I i rr thcblack y, 'ut l r , th, Passagc into nrrnht, ' r l * a lso.r L langr:rrxrs cntcrprtscs hrrh l , aJs to dr.r th both rn r calrrv rrrc i l r r i r lm i2 t l .

Thc three cri t ical franreworks, tht \ew t i lack Aesrhetic, new culturl t lpol i t ics <r i d i f fercncc, and New Black l lealrsnt , provide the over lapprng,interconnected and discursive grid for discrrssion of thc period identi f ied asNew Black Cinema l;urthernrore, rhis grid rs used () examine New BlackCineme and the cul tural producr ion of f i lmic black mascul in i ty.z An undersrandirrg ol the cul tural and nat ional ist ic legacies oi the New Black Aes

IJoyz, Boyz, B('yz g3

thetic; the contemporary cultural formations and hisrories of thc new cul-tural polit ics of difterence; and the aesthetic straregies and thcrr coutjnurtresand discontinuities uirhrn crnerna and narrative as ourlined in New BlackRealism allows for a drepcr, more specific description of the constructronof race and masculrrrrt l at work in New Btack Cinema. Also, by under-sr;rnding these three vectols of the "new,', f i lm and cinema are revealed as aprlctice engagcd ir a dialecrical real/represenration relation, a dialecricbetween rhe synrbolic lnd rhe s<rial in which represcnration is active andinteractive-not jusi entertajning and reflecrive , and ar rhe same rirneinstructive and consrructivc Lri s<rial rneaning.

'This brings me r() m\ projecr and a crirical look ar Ncr,r, Bjack Cin-ema. In rhc I lollyr,r 'r,od cradition rrf "mainsrreanr fi lm," rhe visual ccldessurrounding l. l lcks.rncl blackness on rhe scrccn have been stereotypicalimag,es, morc concenrp<rrarily drug dealers, prosrirures, singlc mothers andcomplacent drag queens. These are the traditional encodings informed bypopular discourse of race and gender, reflecting ancl sustaining popularconvictions abour blackness and black sexualiry. In the rcalm of poputarculture, these discursive inrages, as fi lnr transcodes rhem, dispense rhe"framework{sl of s1'mbols, concepts and images throrrgh which we under-stand, interpret , and represent aspccts of our ' racial ,existence, ' (Omi 19g9'114). lJowever, sroce the rrid I980s, Hollywood and independent Ameri-can cinema have seen a rise in fi lnrs by Africar American fi lrrrnlkers. Ofrentoured as being "bt. for, and abour African ,Amenc.r1s," these fi lms aresocial commcnrarics. indictrnents of racism lnd de;rrcrions of..everyday.'Alrican American l ives. Airocenrrisrn and nation:rl isrrc prrde often informrhe aestheric framewolks <rf rhese fi lms, and they are replece wirh black cul,rural s igni f iers.

Juxraposed againsr the tradirional represenratr()ns of blacks andblackness, i l-ew Black f- ' inema takes on rhe pro;ect of cultural interventi(rnancl the recoding of blaclness, "revising the visual codes surrounding blackskin on rhe screen and in rhe publ ic realm" (Snead, progran 23, 1-2). Thisis ult inrately a polirrcal project within its rclationshrp to the Hollywood rra-di t ion and the rradrtronal r .acial ist and, ar r i rnesr racisr codings of b lacknessi tDd one which is dialect ical u ' j rh in the real / representat i r rn rel l t ionship ofNcw Black (i inema. My inrerest is in the represenrarional dialogic of racialdjiference within fi lnr rnd the real/rcpresenrarion dr.rlerric of culrural, gcrr-der and sexual idenrrty,.

The number of f i lnrs tlrat I have viewed in preparation for discussronraises various cornplicared issues of race, class and gender and the represen-ratron of race, class and gender, ranging from sexual l iberarion in SpikeLee's successfi.rl independent fi lm, S he's C otta Haue It, to the coming of age

84 Boys, Bol '2. Sois

story in John Singleron's Boyz N the l t r r td. ' Ar rhe core of these fr lms'complcxit ies l l re the problematics and paradoxes of black masculiniry andimages of b lack men and black masculrnrty. fhe operat ion of recoding mas-cul in i ty f rour esrabl ishcd, now hisror ic, t lo l lywood codings of h lack menand blacl< nrascir l in i ty v isu,r l izes a more,rnbiguous, morc discursive image,producing the nreanings of an tntr icalr l f constructeai mascul in i ry, morecomplexly dimensionel than thc submrssrvc. doci le J i rm or the moral ly cor-rupi , conDi\ ing, sexual ly threatening drrrg dc' ; r ler .a

I lorvcver, thcse more ngBressive, l-ol ir ical l) charged black rnascul inttrcs, rrorv tLrr 'ned clrf f icult , rrrvolvcd, rdcr, loqica] n'retaPhorsj constr l lct theln'selves, rn thc rrrne of meanings. f ( rnr thc exrstrng, pop cul tural and f i lnrrcrepresenti l t i () f ls of rnascul inrty. Bv opcratrng rcferenttal ly t() rhe p()pular eLl lrurel images of bl lcl< men u'hich .rrc vrsihlv recurring, or simply frxed,instrucr ing homogeneous, monol i rhrc. . r r rd cul tLrral ly fami l iar (and rheretore,quire crr l tural ly consumable) constructs. rhc cri t ical attention that New BlackCincma rnarkers as black men and maseulinity then seemingly hecomes re-cnf()rcenrcnt ()f singular, monologic rnernirgs, only within di i ferent popularimages. Whrt is cLr l tural ly tarni l iar-hip hop, rap nrusic, commodi i ied nco-natron.r l ism and the cool posed, "cndan*cre(l blacl< rr:n" beconrcs represcnt i r t ion.r l ly and cul tural l l rotal ized rs thc I l lack Exper ience of the young,hert,rr>scrual urban black mrn, th. only cxpericncc possible.

I hlve chosen t() examine rhrcc of the e.rr lrest Ncw Black Cinema f i lnrs:Sprke Lcc's nrusical, . lcfool f) ,r lr ; Regrrrald and Warringrort Hudlin\ teenprc,I louse [ 'arty: and John Singleton's .ot]r ing of age tale, Brt lz N tbe Hctctd. Ihave choscn thesc three f i lms for rhe furpcrses of cr i t iquing rhc discursivevisual recodings of black masculinity. Ihave selected thcse three part iculari i lnrs bcc:ruse the codings arrd rccodings r, f rnascLrl ini t l ,and blacl< masculir t i r t 'are dif ierent across thc genres of nrusieal, Leen conredy and the more l i tcrarvconring of age srory. l ly exanrining thesc three f i l rns in a sequential order, Iproposc io interrogate petrcrns of fornr,rt ion of black rnascul iniry as rhesepatterns posir ion (and re-posit ion) womcrl and femalc sexuali t ,v, ale homo-sexuali tr and rhc parr iarch;r l corlstrLrclron of the farrr i ly. ' fhese f i lnrs' i funmediirtcd. serve to construct i l nrastcI r)arrJt ive of black merr lnd mas_cul in i tv and s(xual i tv that arenrprs to hc sc.rnr less. unir . r ry and phal l ic .

SCHOOL DAZE"lhrs nlnr rs. . . ahout our cxrstcncc rs.r pcoplc in u,hrtc Amcrrca"\

Scbool Daze is a musrcal , but nor qui tc what one might expect. As T()nlCade Barnbara ( t991 ) notes: " l ,ee . chooses an enshr ined genre of rhc

Botz, tsoyz, &t,t'l' g.t

dontinant cinema . . . ultose convcnrions were not designed to address anembartled c()mmunrr\, 's c(,nccrns" (49). lrr the big MGl\l Hollywood tradi-tion of elalrorate sets, chrrreographS pageanrry and specraclc, School Dazeis a musical fused wirh the hlack cultural signifiers of jazz, Nlotown sound,and D.C. go-go. Usrng an all blacl<, ensenrble cast, the musical takes placedrrring the homeconring rvenrs on the fictional campus of rhe historicalyblack Mission Collcge.

'fhe focus of rhe fi lnr rrvolves around four gerrdercd socr.rl groups:' l-he Cammites, men; lhc V'Jrr).rbees, wornen; Dap and da fellas, nren; andthc J igaboos, worncrr . ' lhr rensjon of the f i l rn l res i r the shade/easte/c l . rssraci l l rdentrr l , . ln( i conrnrunrty conf i rct that suh. l r r ' rdes, and hecer<:sexual lyaligrs, rhe genclered groups into rwo binaries: thc -l igaboos, the darkskrnned g,roup, lcd bl D.rp.rnd Rachel , r lade up of prcdorrrnarely workingclass black folk ue,rsus rhc \Xlannabees, Ied by Julien and -lane, made up ofl ighr skinned, upwarcily rnobilc, rniddle class black folk, The women con,front the shade compler and racial identity issue. What is at stake is who,culturall l is the "blackesr," has internalized whire aesrhetics of beautynrore, and rs more naturally blacl<. l 'he rnen confront the class and commu_niry division, as one of who is going to lead black people what polirical ide-ology wil l inform a people\ cLrlrural and economic rnobiIry. The campus isdiv ided along thesc l incs. rePresent ing rhe pol i t ical and culrural d j lenrnra ofI ' lack cornmunirics ar la rgc.

Thus i r keeprng rvr th tbe popul . r r , ver opposrrronal , cul tural posi t ron-alr ty of New Black Crncrna, the rnusical takes pl i rce dur ing rhc homeconrrngevcnts on the i\4ission College campus, examining rhe polit ics of race in anembartled communirr'. l t is in rhis setting thar Lee subrcrcs rhe use of themusical . Rrchard Dlcr 1198l lanalyzes enterrainment, and partrcular ly theHollywood musical, as uropian fantasies inverting the signifiers of scarcrry,exhaustion, dreariness, manipulation and fragmentation wich the utopiansensibil i t ies of aburrdlncL', cnerg,vj intensiry, rransparency, and community.6The entertaining inversions finally serve as temporal and spatial escapesfrom the "inadequacies of rhe sociery," V'irh the musical, the resulr is a"utopian world" in whiclr rcnsion and conflict resolve in a bulst jr)to darrceand song.

Dyer furrher nores that rhc "rrropian world" of entenainntent respondskr real needs i l l socrc.!, but ent€rrainnrent is also <lefining and delimitingwhat is a legirirnare, rc:rl need in society. What is dcfined ouc of the ciltegoryof "real need" r-r, irhin thc utopran vision of entertainment are the social-cul-tural problems of r.c. 'and gender, among orher rhings. Spike Lee disruprsthe musical forrn by placing rhe problem of race and racial identity into thefield of vision, and by orienring this disrupcion in rhe utopi:rn sensibil i ty of

Bot's, Boyz, Bctis

communiryj thc problenr of race:tnd 13cial disunity is then seen ls en inrpediment and hindr.rnce to e{)rrrnruniry irrrrnation and functrr.rrr within anoppressrve et)v l r r )ntnent. 1h<iugh [ .cc disrLtpts thc u(. ,pt in lsm rnherenr in rhcmusical krrrn, Scbr;ol l )azl is nor sirrply an alternete dystopian vision of rheworld in that i t does nor represenr rhe irnnginrry as. i wrctched, fcarful placc.The . l isruption of rhe form .r l lows for rhc representJi ir)n of r black co ntunrt ! as a th l tktng. sel f cr i t ic l l body ot pcople.

However, . rs rhe f i l rn rs nor a dystopian one, i r ls a nascul inrsr one. Thepolir ical question and possibi l i ry of unifrcl( ion scenls ro be rhe debare or rnef i lm, rnd by posrr i ( )n in, l rhe uni f icar ion, , f b lack pcople and hla(k cr)mmunr,tres within r n. lrr. iv( ' history of sl .r !cr), ctnlnaiprr ion, rec()nstruction,mrgrat ions, segrcgat ion, crv i l r ighrs and ccono r ic plrghr (al l o i which are setin the phoro m()rr.ge as rhe i i l rr 's crcdirs appear on screcn),. !cb,rol l )a:e andrhe questi()n of rrnif jcarion rhcn f low inro .r culrurl l currcnr of sclf ,determrna,tron rnd sur l ival . With rhe r \ f roccntrrc vrsron! ni l r ionalrst icon,rgraphy, andurban, hip-hop lu l lural infrrsrons, the t luenr v isu:r l , rhvthrns and language ofthe f i lnr lreconre messengers for thc unifrcation of l rctrograde i lat iol , l tnal ir)n intbrnrcd hy rhe parrirrrchal demrrcations of p, 'u,er and gender inher,enr in rhe nerio.r.r l ist ic agcnda i \4(,sse l98.j l . As rnlornrct l hv rhc ideologicaland sexual p l radigrns of culrLrral nar io lJ l isntr sexut l d i f ierence hecomes thediscoursc nrcdiaring inrraracial relarions, separa[ing rrci l l identrry and com,rlrur 'r i tv into hcrcrosexual, gcndcrcd dr,nrains. I laci.r l identi ty, rhe l ighr/darkconfl icl is fe'nj l tne.rnd sigl i frcd bl the tcrrr.r le bod1.; corlnrunrty antl leader,ship are rraseul ine. Uni f ic l t ron then fal ls rnto rhc t radir ional consrrucr ion ofracral oppression and the rrcovcry frorn racial oppressi()n as a ..man's problerrr," as racial emascularion, i is rhe rec(^ery of the I,hal lus. I t is rn this visualc(tnstruct i()n r, f race, racral idcnti ty end Lomnlunjr) that I wanr to discuss thercprcsentation ot the fem.rlc hrdv.

' fhe lvonrcn's color/shade problcrrr is introducecl in the f i rsr musrcalnurnbcr, "Strei .qhr and Nappy." ln the narratrve, rhe two groups r) lwolnen, the - l i rabr)os, thc c l . r rk skinneLl women and the \x/ lnnahees, rhel ight skinncd u,of ien, confrot l t each orher i r r the dormirory corr idor.What ensues rhrough thc mLrsical nurnber is an argument ovcr shade,wenves! napsj c()ntact lens lnd men. In "Madanre Ree Ree's l la i r Salon,"Ihe l ig iboos and Vannabees are in . q i rng f ighr ser to the sound of h igb.rnd. lhe (er. i rory of . l isprr tc is rhe lernale l rody, che black fcmale bodv.Rachel , Dap's gir l f r iend and head Jrgaboo, and Janc, Jul ian's gir l f r iendand head \ [bnnabce, face of f ro the chorus: "Jalk jn ' ,bout good and oaohair/wherher you are dark rrr feir/go or and swcnr' /see r i lcare/good andbad harr."

_ .At one point in the number, rhe Jigaboos and the rX/annabees rlonfans bcaring irnages ot Hattie Mcl)anieJ/]rlammy and Vivran Leigh/Sca.lerO'l lara, rhe perennr.rl Hollyr.r,oo(.l images of the black wonran ;e/rr,s rhewhrte wonran. The ians of McDaniel and Leigh as they circulare withjn rnespecfacle scrvc as thc choice for thc, won-ren, neither one of which is a realchoice for l ' lack wrrnren. lhe racir l rzed masquerade, as indicared t l . thedonning oi fans, directs rhe spectator to the c()nstructedness of women andracialized femininity and to rhe fernale body as the demarcation of rnecolor difference and irrrraracial cr.lnntunity problem. the female body isspectacle. ohject i f ied, scJndalous. and conter lpt ib le. fhc specracle of"Straight and Nappr " is c:r tharr ic in rhar i t removes the skin color conf l ic tof racial rdcnrity fronr rhe men and embodies rr in rhe female body. Racraridcntity is then separared from rhe conrmrrniry of men, becorning an rrblecrior recoverr'

B, , t '1,3"t ' ' , , t ,n. 87

N,rt ,111p11.111q11. In (hc nJrr . t ! ( r , t rhc i r lm. Rachel . lnd Dap. l r [u( rnthe course of w.hich Rrchel suggesr\ rhar Dap ,)nly ds1g5 h., b".u'u". i,f th.shade, rhe darkness, of her skin. Rachel argues that Dap's association wrttrher,."rhe darkesr thing on campus," is , 'grxrd for lhisl all,rhe_way-downpr<r biack image." Th. female body and rhc skin color/shade of the fematebody becorne commodities in exci,^,rge for power und aonrrnl. Ar.,r*_modities, cenain valucs are assigned. In rhis case there is rhe historic valueot whire orer black, l ighr over dark. The skin color/shade of the objecr i f iedwoolanl now the blrck hody, dercrntincs rhe pqiit ic of the man in p(rsscs,sron of the bodt'.

. A more explicir exanrple than the demonsrrated use ()f Rachel,s bodyrs the use of Jane's hrrrlv in rhe Gammjtes rights of Passage. Afier theplcdges go over, i<rining rlre fr. lrernity and becoming Garnma men, Half_l)rnr (Sprkc Lee's charactcr) is sri l l a virgin. What fi l lorvs is Julian,s (rhehead Gamrna) rrickery and coercion of borh Jane and Half-i int: Jane israped/her br>dy exchanged for Half_pint's virf inity with what she-bodilyposses: His rrranhood and hjs r,rciel idcnrit).. I- l i l f pint, n()w a Canllna man,cnters into the ranks qf the fun_rre leaders of the race. The sexual acr, hisInrtiation rnro manhood, recuperares his authenticity, his blackness, and hispol i t ical a l ignnrenr wi th the Wannabees, as a ctass and as a communitv.

Even though Lec-'s clisruprion ,,f rhe mu.rc.rl t irrm .rlLrw: fr. "n

,n,"._rogatrorl .rnd re pres.t)rarion of rhc reprcsentation of black masculinitt, Leedoes not subverr rhe nrale gaze (however, he does racialize ir).7 Operating rna cla.ssic narrarive fornr. the images of rhe q,onren remain staric; eroricizedend fragmenlsj; the men.lre active agents, representing movement and rcsolurion. Race and scxtral dif ierence arc collapsed; the black woman then

83 Bot's' BrrJ't ' Erris

simulr.rneously rcpresenrs rhe lack of blackness and the phallrrs. (bnsc-qucrttlt ' , racr end scxual differcncc are fcrishizcd. Sexrral difference becomescontainrnenr in a convcnrional consrruarr()n <rf nrasculinity.

HOUSE PARTY

I warrtcd to nrakc a movr, th;t had sr ' ' r i : l nrcssagcs, btrr was also cntcr 'r ln,ng. n, ,n. t , ,p fun. . . . 3

In Warr ington rnt l Reginald l ludl in 's / l , . , r rse P,r t l r l coding oi n la le homo-sexu:r l i r l and the rrprescnt.rr i( ' r t of rhc nr.r le h<rnrrrsexu.t l bt, th sitLrarc ih. 'recrrding cri blacl< rnascul intty .rs r. tcial .rrtd class respc-,nsibi l i ry HousL' Patl lis i r rccrrpic as character ized by the srnrplc plot , thc narrar ive of the rebel-l ious youch, subnrcrged in rhe rrrban, i , r u n t e r c u I t u r a I l i fesryle oi the d.r1,the rhl thrns of h ip-hop and rap. lh is is - t ver,v del iberare f i lnr , very much rndialogLrc wi th l lo l lywood, mainstream tr l rn and popular culrural images oiblack people, espccial ly blacl< mcn, end very conscious of i ts youthful b lackaudienct ' . Therefore, whar rs ver) fornrul ir ic and cxploitarive (ot teenagers,music and i rdolesccnt angst) in a I lo l lywood convent ion is rendcred cr i t icaland intcrrent ionist , iorcgrourrding racc'rnd opprcssion.

\Vhl t rs so dcl iberate : rnd intenl i , rnr l i rbout lh is f i l r l is rhc rnversiorrof the conrnron, stcrcorypic.r l rePrcscnt i r l i { )ns oi l . l ;ck ntcn and hl . tck conlnrLnir t -s wi th oppor ing culrur:r l .oJrngs rhat, in turn, brrng into questtonrhc frbrr iat ion and falsi ty oI the srcfc(, lype i tsclf . l 'hesc cri t ical inversr. lnle:rds [- is.r Kcnnedy (1990) to comnrenr: "1//o&se Pallyl toucl]es on tr.rr l ! 'otthc signs of rhe black famil iar-the prt, lccrs, pol ice brutal i ty, tecn sexi teendr in l<irg, . . . b lack on black cr i rnc, . . . . " By " touching" on these signs ofrhe "black fami l iar ," and invert ing thenr ' the l lLrdl ins construct a c incmJl i !portrai t of a utopian, " imagined communiry," invent ing the v isual meanrngof a nrt ion of b lack people, in which rhe stereolypes are supplanred, i r rhecrsc oI th is i i lm, wi th revised, "posir ive" i t r i rgcs: There is the s ingle parentfamily rvirh a blacl< nrarr, Pop, u'ho is rhc hcad r i f thc household in contrastt ( ) the nruch. mcdia dogged srngle hlacl< mother; there is the ahscnce of adrug plagued, inrtcr crr l blacl< ghctrr, , replacr 'd br the sanitary, drug frcesuhurban communrty; c less srr i fe is strbnrerged; rhe black rniddle c lass rsatrendant and rcsPonsible for the cnrtrc rel l rescntat ional conlmunity i andthere ls the representar ion of sexual ly rcsponsible black youth.

Kid, the proragorrist, is introduced to the audience as the only chi ld rn amalc hcadcd household, trustworthy, and obedienr, a clean-cut yolrng Inan.' I-his introduction is determir ing of rwo things: First, i r cstabl ishcs the narra-t ive oi thc rcen ir lnr as <inc oi disobedi"ncc; the acring out of disobedicnce

8o1:, Br.rl'r, llo'yr 89

and punishrnenr becomes rhe narrarive morivarion and plot closure for theii lnr. Second, rhe Lrnrily setting l, l ' irh ltrp, as the ividow,er farher, is in opposi-tion t., the abaldoned, single black morher image that is :o pervasive in rhemedia and I lollyr,rorrd represcnrcrior of the black fanily (which leaves theimage oi the single l. lack morher inract and unexamined, simply suggesnngthat a man is bettr). Placing Kid nert ro Pop and suspending rhem inidiomaric langu;rgc.rnd the hip,hop culture codings ot rhc zzls e-en-scine, Ktdand Pop becomc irDrhr'ntic co murrit,u'. role models for black yourh. The rolernodel rtscli offtrs a rrnrrarv symbol of nran, black rran, lnd manhood,informing class, sexrral . . rnd i rcsrhet ic stand,rrds to u,hrch rhe nat ion is tonsprre rnd marrrr . r rn. Rrspccrabi l r tv. as in Kid 's respon, i l - r i l i tv in sexual abst inence anLl ..sFccr n) end for his father, dt' i incs che paramecers of moralcodes, whar ts . lcceprable, not acceptal.rle, r.r 'hirr is good or bad. The rolemridel, rhen, becrrnrcs a lcrrm of social control delrmicirrg the pararneters andthe permanence of rhe corrsrrucr of the black man.

As a role moelcl, Kid's disobcdience musr be a punishable and re-deerrable learnrng experience. in rhe cafeceria scene imrnediacely followinghis introduction, Krrl wrangles wirh thugs Srab, Zil la, and pee Wee, ' l hepremise: Kid accidenral lv spi l ls nr i lk , a sexual s lur is d i rected ar rhis morher,and finally the pherouonal barrle cry, issrred srnrllraneeusly from Srab,Zi l la and Pee Vee: ' l smcl l pussy!" fhus, Kid rs ef fenr jn ized. The . .smel l ofpussy" leads ro a f ight . rn rvhich Kid is bearcn and reprrnranded and Stab iscxpelled. As rhe fi lnr concinues, it becorrcs clerrr rhat the premrse of rhefi lnr, Kid's gr.ring to the parry wirhour his lather,s colsenrj is ulrimately aresr of h is manhood-

Now I wanr <r rurn the discussion ro a close reading of two of the fi lm!drscrrrsive maneuverr: rhe manipularion of the presence of homosexualityand the absence of the hornoscxual in rhis fi lm, Homosexualiry is presenr anddetached from the black nran and the black community. This presence anddetachment serves r\^,o purposes. Firsr, there is rhe esrablishment of homo-seruality as a devrarion fronr and rhreat ro heterosexual black masculinrry.When Kid is arrcsrcd, the responsible heterosexualsex sccne in wbich the uscof rhe condom, the rrope oi safe sex, is solely c.,nrraceptjve precedes the jaitscene, which is osrensibll al 'orrt safc scx and anu-rapc. The iixed use of thecondonr as conrriceprion wirhour a hinr of irs prophylacnc use reconfiguresany configured safe sex nressage, as it re-inscribes heterosexuality. Whar isarticulated in rhe h<rnrosocial jailhouse setting of leering, caged men is thathomosexuality is s<rlely a homosexual acr of violence and rape-with AIDSas the signifier of a wrongful acr of violence. (Not surprisingly, the discourseof AIDS is conducted in rhe confines of a jail ccll as somerhing arrested anocrirrinal in the black community.e)

90 l lr . ,ys, Boyz, l l r , is

Tlrc secc'nd usc ol homrrsr, 'x ur lr tv lrcs in the subnrcrgcd text oi cl :rss drf-fcrerrce- l i homoscxullr ty is : rrrct irphor lor thc conflrct berween black mcnand crirninl lr t l ' , rh( nretaphor cri drsavrrw:r l , rhen mctap.hor intersecrs rvithrne()nym . l t thc p.r int of class. (, lar. is subnrerged in a discorrrse oi heterosexual , nrascLr l r r r . 'd i f fcrcncc and is dcfrned,:rnd subsequent ly undeirncd, by rhercmov.t l oi h, 'nrorcxir: : l i ty and the dif icrentiat ion of a grxrd, str!rgh( blf , .kman fr()m .r b.r<|, srr.rrght black rnan, a posir ive inrage ironr a negatir 'e inrege.1'he presence trf horroscxuali ty dcnronstrrtes a black rr lscul iniry thar rs t luidbetween rhe hetcr,rsexual poles of good rrd bad. ' lhe concealment of c l lssdif ferencc behin. l r l"rc vei l of a good/bacl clual ism and pervasivc moral i t l refrgrrres class ort e rnorel ;r lane rrarrscoding lhe accoufrei irent and the material ir lof class into moral signs. In this rcf igur;rt ion "fheri" crrr ls. bulging muscles,rank tops, and d.rr l< sl<in, thc working class signif iers of black rnascul iniry,become the signri icrs of the morel ly corrrrpr. - fhe narrat ive identi f icat ion ofKid as thc protagorrst posit ions spectatofs lo r( lcnt i t with rr iddle class r ighr-eousness, privi lcdgrng the rniddle class ae.rhetic of the f i lm.

Ciur iorrs ly tn issing in rhc prescncc,r f homosexual i ty is i ts embodimentin the h ' r rnosexrr . r l . fhc- . rbsence of rhe honrosexual , rhe l . rck of thc physicaldispl , ry or s()nrc te\ tu. i l , l rsrL>sure of r charactcr , is decepr ive rn that rhcphysic.r l absencc rrst ' l f grvcs prcscncc ro fhe homosexual . I nrean that horno-sexrrals, specrfrcal lv gi) n ' rcn. i t re r)ot in the f i lm, bur f igurarrvely str l l rhere.The f i rst rhree gav rDen rpfc:rr on rhe boclv of Bi l ia l , the dj ior thc cvening'sin lanrous part t . Bi l ra l rs bedecked wrth Kcrth l i l r ing "Free South Afr ic i t "hurrons. rhe oversrzed Vi l l i Smith c lothrng, and Parrrc l< Kel ly desrgner huttons and conrbs.r" Tlrese thrce men, a pop art ist and two Jesigners, rcspec-t ively, $cre . r l l dving or had elready died of AIDS by the release rr i HozsePatty. Al l rhrt 'e of rhesc mcr were gry; two of them, Wil l i Smirh andParrick k cl lv, rvcre black. During the ja i l scene, the last two gay nren, RockI ludson and I tbcracc, appcar in leference to their dearhs from AIDS.

Thc presence oI rhc abscnr homoscxual total izes the coding of b lackmen and masculrni ty as uni tary and heterosexual . Gay black men, l . r rexample Wi l l i Srnrrh and Patr ick Kel ly, ere conmodif icd and erased, in rheappropriated commodity form, from thc reprcsentational black commu-ni t l ' , and gay white nren, Rock I ludson end Liberace, s igni fy the homosex-ual bocly. Ihe c.rrhexis of thc hornosexual i ry onro the absent, whi te, malehomosexral body negates the possibi l i ty of a black gav man. Ot course inview of the jai l cel l f inale, t l re absent honrosexual body, indeed the performative hody, rs r loubly negated frorn thc blacl< conrmunity as i t is cr>ntainedwirhin the f i l rn 's insrr l ious AIDS discourse, a discourse of cr i rn inr l i ty , con-f inement and rrce.

Boj,1. Boyz, Boyz 9l

Agrrin, as r'" ' irh School Daze, rhere is an r,pposirional 0esrheric whichloreqrounds race and the constrLrct ion of race, onl t , to rc- inscr ibe raue rna dtscorrrse of p:r t r iar-ch1,:Lnd hererosexu:r l rn, . ' l he reversal of denigrat lngstereotypes into thc positive role model ch:rracrer of Kid is problematic inch.rt the r<:l le model and role model-rng is generative of another sterco-ryl)e, perhaps more moral and corrective, bur noneCheless a sfereotype_aftxed and f ix ing convcnr ional concepr ion ot b lack nrascul in i ty. The posr-tivc/negarivc irnage absrraction, as concerved, only scrves to transposeone stereotype wirh anorher ' fhe posrt ive stercorype of b lack is ex-changed with the negative srereorype of whire. 'fhis I imits the fi lm,s vrsLratanalysis ot social nressages to an us/them birrary opposition, repla"ing"them" (u 'h i te fo lk) wi th "us" (black fo lk) , wirhour inrerrogat ing rheconsrruct of us/thern. fhe blirrd sighted contradicrion of this binary oppo_si t ion is rhe re- inscr ipr ion of the opprcssor and rhe oppressed, or as in thefi lnr, heterosexual, rnasculine subject formarion as determined by thenegar ion of rhe homosexul l .

BOYZ N THE HOODMy fi lm has a lor of ncssagcs rn rt . . . bur n:r. nrarr.r r.ncss.rgc is thatAfncan Amcrican mcn havc to taIc rcsprrnsrbrlrt l fLrr rarsrng their chil-tJrcn, cspccrally thcir bovs. I athtrs h:vc rr, rcach rhcrr hoys rr> bc nren.' l_hc.-rudrcncc wrlJ bc ahlc ro scc rhc cirrccrrrrn that thr chrraerers talewhcn thcre is an abrcncc or I f jrc:cnc. of iathcr, rn thcrr Iucs.rl

h tsoyz N the Hood, John Srnglcron ernplovs ,ome of the narrative convcr-tions of rhc melodranra, as Jackie Bayars ( I 991 ) has ourlined them, whichprovide a rnode for construcring moral identity. As Bayars explains, thenreiodramatic form fr:nctions as a sirc oi conil icr over social values, is oftensittrated in family struggle, arrd often serves rcr define and redefine genderancl its relationship ro thc strucrurc of the f.rrnily 18). Bayars also discrrssesrhe male-oriented melodramas in which rren :rrc coming of age and estab,l ishing identity and relarionships with their iathers (217-226).ln a tradr-tronal reading, a masculine coming of age stor1. foLlows a young man as hefinds hinrself, esrablishcs his masctrl inirr ', and masters his sexual awakeningand sexual urges (Rutherford 1988,21-671. Bct1,7 l, l 1fi" Hood does norbreak with this rraditiorr; however, in an expansion of the notion of familyto an inclusion of communiry, thc fi lm placcs the stor1, in South Central LosAngeles, an urban black community. Again aswtrh Scbutl Daze and HouseI'atty 'ace is cenrered, central to the melodrrma.

92 Boys, Bo1z, Brt:

lJnl ikc School Daze and I l rruse I 'art1, Boy< does not usc scxui l l di f ierence and sexuali ty, wornen and honrc,scxualrty, co dcirrte and neg,otiereblack mascLr l in i ry and black men. In turn, In the at)scncc of homosexual i tyand wirh rhe opposir ional s lnrbolrsm of iather and tnother, h l rck nt .n. .edef ined against hcrerosexual , nrascLr l inc di f ferences, and oncc dcf ined hlacknren are presenrcd in an Ocdipal ( )pp() . i r t ion to bl : rck rvornen as nro(hcr5 ina fami ly srructure. This disrrnct iorr o i the de[ in i t ion hy drf ferenccs in r l rascr.r l in i tv is crLrcial becausc i t then rs tht causc for the f i lnrrc crpposi t i<,n. ,1black man ancl rvr>rnen.

First I wanr t ( ) cxtmrlc thc nrcn, I -unous, Tre Ricky and t)oughbov.There is a parental f rgure, furrous, f rcrrrr whonr the co<1ings of nrasculrnir land rhe fraternr l <,rder of Trc, Rickv, . r r rd Doirghboy is derrvacrve. The rep-resentat ion <rf b lack nrcn ancl nrasculrnrty is rn dialog wr(h the rcprcsenta-t ion of malc hcterosexual i ty. l r r rhrs d r logue rhe [ i l rn grves an age ;rndmatr l r i t i ( ) r ' r c()r l t inuuin oI t r lack rnen. l l r rs al lows lhe audrcncc lo sce rhemen rhrough chi ldhood adolescencc ancl m:nhrrod. Thrs also al lo*s for thcvisual izatron oI dr i fercnce in blacl< tnen, hcrrv thrs di f [erence, supprrset l ly ,develops and l row frnal ly, th( s ingular rrrrage oI h lack Inan rs cre:rced.

The di f iercrrce rn tnasctr l rn i ty pivots on thc rcpfesentr t iot t <, i t lotrgh-b<rv. As l vrsual im:rge, Doughb,ry rs boch narratrvcly and.tcsthetrcel lvahjcct , the Lrw poinr, th( l (Jst , fhc di :p,rssessed, thc vrsr , r : l ly b:rnrshed, 1ernot disav()$cd, [orc ing, hut not burslng- the seatns of tnascul in i t r ' : DoLrgh-hoy is very nruch e hlack rn:rn, nor renr,rved frorn thc ir lnr 's rangc of blrrckmascLr l r r r i ry, but nonethel tss. fot ' rh,r I . r l . l . rck nrarr sh, ,u ld be.

\ ! i thrn thc ralrar i l t ' l )oughboy rs the had sccd. rhe dis lavored sorr , , iNIs. Brr l icr ; hrs is urrcrnplrrc ' t l and tnmrral . Acsthet ical l t , i tnd tn contrast t t rthe wcl l bui l t , tor teJ ln. l rvel l groome'd inrrges of l rc ' lnd Rickr ' (Dc,ughbols blothcr) . l )oughboy- di t fe ls in thrr t ht ' rs iat arrr l phls ical l l s loppv,rrnl t l iquor tot t i r tg ar)d " lher i ctr lcd, . r l l the t t . t |ptngs thJl havecon)etocode thc nr lsculrni lv of b lack Lrnclcrc lass.

As thc . r l r jcct . Dorrghboy deirnes the possrbr l i tv r , f l , l rck nr,rscul inr tv,indced thc nrdir , n 'h ich is r lesccndent f roor Fur iorrs, thc peak oi b lack mescul in in.- l h is conslnrct ion oi nrsscul inr tv. u i th i ts highs and lorvs. a l lou'sfor the total iz ing nronol i th of I "ur tous.rs lhe ta lher i r r rd re 'c l i r t r tcr . l : ( ) r , onceabject cd, Doughb,r l chal lenges and nlrr l t ively nrot ivates the r(-construc-r ion of rnascul inr ty. ( i rnseqLrcnt lv, l -ur tot ts t rust ureet rhe chl l lenlae b) rais 'ing his son, I ' re, as onl l A nr.rn c i rn. anJ srrrce FLrr ious rs the onlv fa lher,absent or present in thc f i l r r . rs onl) hc i ln.

' lb Singleton's c ledi t , the rudrencc 's not bonrbarded rai th helvv, lndnaively simplisr ic, good/bacl nrorel isnr. l )oughhor"s ul ' lect ion is not repre'scntcd as bad in thrr he is not good, but l) , 'u!ahhol is. ' tn . tr tr ht 'r t l , cot ' tscirrus

I lol: , [ ]r4'7, g, ' t ' . 93

<rf l trs rbjecrion, knowing of his cnvironment and mastering of i t . As there;t 'cted srrn lnd t lre cr con, doughboy creates his own comnruniry of men inr,vhrch hc is chc lc. ldcr and protector On rhe fr inges of black rnascui iniq,I troncl recoverr,, D.rughbov defincs blacl< masculinity and, while avengrrrghis brorher\ rnurdcr' . rcdec;rs hlack masculinity.

. \r rh(- .ore ot r l lc rcprescnration of ntascul ine dif ference and the rccr) strui (rn . tnd rci latn.rt ion of blacl i ntascrr l ini fy is the representation of\ , \1)n1.n Jnd rht tantr l r enJ t . rnt i l1. v.r lucs. The siogular farher image of l - r r r rous rs pr., iecrr 'd.rg-r insr thar <, i thrce rrnrgcs of the nrother, Ms. Baker, thecr lck rnoth. . r . rnd l {cr- : r . Frfrous'cx-!r ' l te. \ \ /h i lc FLrr ious is the insrructrve,polrrrcl l l l a\,rr! ' , .or i l rrunitv b-rscJ cnrreprcneur, N{s. Baker, Ricky andDoughhor' 's lnorher. is.r single rnother.\^,rr l .r n() nnrr. l t ive rncans of income.Doughhor, : ls rhe .r l) lc.r is rh. prod!.. of .r tcnrale hea.1ed, single parenrhouschold. ln conrrast ro Furrrrus ' ptrcr t ra l gui<1ance and Afrocenrnccrla()ur: lgcf i tents ol selt-derernl lntt ion. \4s. B:rkcr fators Rickv overDoughhoy, gi ' " ing s() ln( . guidan.e and rncour.rgcmcnt t t : Rickt ,and norhinghur vcrtul abuse tr ' f )<rurhbor. . The onlv other neighhorhood nrother rharwe sr 'e ls rhe crrak Inother acr()si the srrcer_'fhis is rhe inorher $,ho alk)wshcr yotrrrs chi ld ro uancicr.. unettendetl . inro rr.r f f ic. ' thrs is rhe nrorher u4rooi lcrs fe l l . r r io ro bul cr . rck.

Revr. ' l ie 's ntorher, , , r 'ho grves htr srrn up to Furrous because she ieelsshc is rnehle io rar ' . her rr ln chi ld, larer rn rhe f i lm, surroundcd by rheplofrssirrrr ; r l , srngle woman,rpu)encc of her;r lush apartment, is deprcred asupwardl l ' mobi lc and rneddlrng, opportunistrc In her reqLresr for Tre rorctulrr ro her parcnral custody. ln rhc cafc scene between Fur ious and Rcva,wher would orherwise be a pnr femrnisr stance is rendered fcminisr back_larh as Reva asserrs rh0f by r l rs ing hrs son, Fur iorrs h:rs done norhing spe-cinl , has done norhing rhar black rrrorhers have nor been doing for years.lh is comcs only af ier Reva has shown rhar she cannor raise' l ' re hersel f , norcJn any ()rhcr woman in the f i lm rear a s()n.

lhese images oi b lack morhers would nor be so damning i f they werenot so pervasive. Thesc rhree inrlges are verv calculared and posit ioned in anrrscul ine comrng oi agc narrar ive, in a cornrnuni ty of men, in opposi t ronro the only farhcr in rhe hlm. I h is communrry of men is in struggle for sal-varron and survival . Consequenr ly, Iur ious, as rhe fatheq is a messianic f ig_ure, harkening salvar ion, br inging control and order back to thecornmuniry. Virh ' [ ie as the son aod proragonisr growing up in the mire ofSourh Cer'rral Los Angeles, thc salvation of the community is through theresurrecrion and preservarion of rhis nrascul iniry. Again, as in IJ<tuse patry,rhcrc is rhc insrrucrional represenration of the role nrodel. In the case ofBr,1,z, Tre is posired as lhc role modcl because he has a role model, his

94 [Jny5, $rry7, l3ots

father Fur ious Stvlcs. As a conscqrrcnc(. l rc is invesred with the future oithe fi lnric conrmu n ity.

NEW I] I .ACK CINEMA RECONSII)ERET)

ln l99l thcrc werc somc nrnctccrr i r l r r . hy black directors schcdulcd f r r rre lc.rse. l jy the end of 1991, rr leasr rraclrc r>[ t l resc f i lnrs were relc,rsed wrrhthe brckr ng of h ig I lo l lywrxrd sruLl ' r )s i ( . t ) le I 99f) . Clee r lv thesc t i im\ wercpopular.rnd profr t : rb le, hur thr c()nte.r l r | ld suhlcct marrer oi thesc i r lnrs,black people, b lack peoplr ' r l ivcs and cul tural space and id( 'nrrrYj $creseerr ingl ; ' i r contrast to , r l l t ' r l txrd 's rrcr . r l r radi t ions. As popular rrcndsgo, New Bleck Cinema was precedcd hr rap and hip-hop music, the po;rular image of rhc 'cndangcret l h l . r .k nr.rn ' and rhe sociological i r r terest rndrugs, cr ime and thc inr-rer c i t l ' , a l l oI ruhrch are porrreved b,v rhe media as.rblack di lenrma { fones 1991 ) . - l -he stratcgy of New lJ lack ( i inema was torecode the cxistrng codings oi b lacl<ncs:, inforrning the symbol ic wirh thesocial end cul t r . r ra l sensi t r i l i t ics of b lacl< culrurc, Afrocentr isnr, and rheeveryday cxpcricnccs oI black pcopic.

On the one hand, thc issues oi b l . rckness, nar ionr l 'snr, and r tascul ini rv present in rhese ear ly Nerv l ] leck ( . rncnra f i lms, i r r nry reading, raise cr r t -ical quesr ions about the represcr)r . r t i ( )Ds lhen)selves; on the () ther hand, asCuerrenr ( l99iJ) r r ( ) Ies, thes. l i lmnral<er ' r r their rnainstream, indepcndent,and insrrrgcnr tornrs rnd tcndencics cxpose and |eg() t i l l te discf imrnntor\ 'pract ices in Hol lywoo,J laround rnarkcr ingr prornot ion, anJ developmentof "black-therred" f i lnrs) . r r r .1, in c|rrng ro, engagc and ofren expl icr t ly pro-vide a rc ld ing, l l hcfmencure rrrvc51igs1111;n, of Anrer ican culrure: i rs l rob-lematic as School Daze, House I'arty,:rnd Boyz N thc. I lood arej thc! dopresenr blackncss and blacl< nr lscul in i ry as a s i te of interprcrat ion, cr i r ique,and ethical engagernent, as ()nllorng projects and cultural formatrons.

In the New ll lack Cinema fi lms exarrined above, racc as a discourse,especial l l as popular American discourse, funcr ions in rnodels of excepr ion.al ism, ta lenr ancl v i r tuosi ty, as rhcse rnodels are deployed for racial , socraland polit icel uplift (nor surprisinglr, nrt 'st <rf rhese fi lnrs are oiten clescrtlre<las mascul ine narrar ives). Thrs Neu,Bl :ck ( l inema moment is an example olthe ear ly sel f posi t ions in WcsI 's rrc* eul tural pol i r rcs of d i f fcrence, andcxclusive " te lented renth" grouprrg. . r r roupipg which opened rnirrkct andaudience doors. Y<t, rhere has l>ecn a m.rrked shiitt the issues and queslrr)njof racial represerrr . r r ron havc rnerkedly changed. One can, on rhe one hand.argue thar New Black Cincnrr h ls in(cgrated and been assimrlated inro rhtAmerican f i lm machine i<r ldcr i i l rnmakr rs who have benef i red l ike \ l icnaetSchul tz and l l i l l Duke, and nr()rc recenr ly Forrest Whiraker) ; on the orhe.

Boyz, B.)yz, l loyz 9t

hand, black fi lrnrrakers are now thc inrerpreters of whireness. By this Inrean Lhar blacl< cinenra has, through the efforts of New Black Cincma,developed a market ancl arrdience, u,hich reflect not only irs success as apopuJar form, but also irs crit ical interrogations and interpretations olbl:rckness and race.

' l-his larrer aspect of black cirrenra as crit ical interrogation and rnter-f ret . t ion is wherc New Black Crrrenrr has shi f red in emphasis. As men,troncd in Chaprer ()nc, b lnck c jnenra as.r srgni fy in(g) pracr ice u,hichfunctions as a hernr..neutic <icvice allows x perti lrmatl,e interplay [ret,.r,ssnthe cincmatic appar.lrusj n.rrrdtive structurc and the hisrorical :rnd discur_slvc colrstrucrions ot r.rce enrbeddtd in the use of the appararus of cincma.l r is th is inrerplay nnton! i rpparatus, narrat ive and history in which ahermeneuric shift has raken place, re configuring the use and frrncrion otthe "race" and gelder rubr ic.

l,ct me clari[y: Lno high profi lc narional and media incidenrs re_framed the discursivity of black masculinir,v in the 1990s: The Rodney Kingbeating, the Simi Valley jurys acquittal of rhe police officers responsibleand the subsequent proresrs and r iots ( |992); and the O,J. Simpson verorcc(l 995). With rhe Rodney Krng bearing, verdicr and riot, black mascuInrrvts re iterated in notions of lggressir:n, subrnission, and criminaliry andsimultancously re,posirrrrned n' i rh jn nor jons of col lect ive and histor ical v ic,t rnrhood and denied and delayed srare just ice. The black mascul ine is vro_Ientl l rerrovcd from a Iiher,rl disc,rurse oi r.rce pathology and re inscribedrn a l 'oucaulri:rn norion of rhe state. fhe simultaneirl, of irerarion andrnscription, on the onr hrnd, serves co universalize the black man as victrm(in thar the Rodney King beirtrng is an incidenr of state control, of whicheveryone is a victint); on the orher hand, rhe simultaleity of ireration andinscription serves to partr.ulalze the smre,s relationship to the black body(in that the black male bodl is rhe demorrsrrative body).

In the O.J. Simpson case, there is a greater sense of cultural berrayal.As an actor and entrepreneur. Simpson was an exemplar of the democraticerhos of cclebriry; a model oI the arhleric nlasculine ideal; and an exemplarof integration and racial harmonv. However, rhe rrial for rhe murdcr ofNicole Brorln Simpson and llonald Goldman re,blackened, so ro speak, hiscelebr i ty and masculrniry: The black mrn is re-cr iminal ized as thc brute, rnerapist , and the rhrear ro whire ienr inrnrty and civ i l i ty . Virh his acqui t ta l ,t ) .1. Sirnpson became a f igure oi ' .b lack" j t :st ice (especial ly rn l ighr ot rneinrt ia l Rodnt 'y Kirrg rerdicr) ; ! ! che sarnc r lme, he bec: lme.1 i igLrre of l iberarrvhite injustice. Bv rhrs I rrrean that Simpson valorized the American justrcesystem of fair rrail, rvhile he vil i f ied the Arnerican dream and rhe Amencanidcal of integrarion.

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96 Boys, Boyz, Bois

The qucstion becomes, wlrar is the rnrpacr of these ambiguous, drscur-sive black mascrrl ini t ies in thc rcalnr ()f representation, nlass nredra arrdentertainment? - l hcse two f igr.rrcs, Roclney King and O.J. Simpson-thequotidian and the celebri t ,v, rhc everydiy and the icontc-beconle a spl i timage iuscd in the cul tural imaginirrv:rs rhc l rmit and hor izon of the repre-scnta. ion of b lack nrascul in i ty. l2 I t is rhe hor izon of the rePrescntat ion olblack nr. lscul in i ty becausc i t rs anrbiguous, rcnder ing the representat ion ofblack mascul in i t l as inassint i lablc () st( ' rcot) pc and srcreorypic representa-t ion; rhe spl i r imagc is rhe l imi t of the rcpresentat ion oi b lack rnascul inr tybecause in rrs arrbiguir l rhe spl i r image reveals the disavowed contradic-t ions of Amcrican class ant l racial ideals, e product ive and prof i table dis-avowal, indeed rhe disavowal oi entertarnrnent i tsel f .

- fhe rnediat ions of th is spl i r i tnage have been strbt le, part ia l ly throughthe co optat ion rnd absorpt ion oi h lack therrred narrar ives and charactersinto poprr lar cul turc as econonr ical lv v i , ib le enterrainment ( f i lms and especial ly hip hop rnf lected f i lms whtch use raP art ists as i rctors) and Part ia l lyt lrrough rhe m()verr lenr of blacl< f i lnrrnekers into more rnainsrrcam prt, iecrs. l l In the post-Rodney King/Simpson verdict cra, the standardized hoodf i l r r , unablc ro engal le rhe conf l icrs i rnd contradict ions of the 1990s blackmascul ine, ie l l into redundancy simi lar ro Blaxploi tat i ( )n At thc same t in lc,there wcre "appl icar ions" s imi lar to thosc oi Blaxploi tar ion l the appl icarion of bl.rcl<ness tr) standard, tr ied and true narrat ives) in f i l rns l ike lales

from the I lutd (1995) and Vamptrc ir t Brcnklyn 119951, erploring raceand horror. I lorvever, f i l r r ts that coninrrr ted racc more histor ical l l , crrr ical lyand conirontat ion:r l ly in the esrabl ished mascul ine narrat ive modc of \ewBlack Cinema fai led at the box of f tcc.ra

Irr part i l l recognir ion of the shi f t ing s igni f icat io l ts of race and mascul in i ty, Ciuerrero (1998) notes thar rhe racial c l imate and popular audiencemood inrmediately fot lowing the O..J. Simpson verdict conrr ibutcd to thebox off icc fai lurc of rwo f i lms specif ical ly, Deuil h a Blue Dress ( 1995) andSlrungc l )ays ( 199.t) (349). l t is my corr tent ion that, ycs, on rhar Octoberweekcnd in 1995, rhe nrajor i ty Anrer ican audience was unwi l l ing to con-front a f i lnr l ikc l)eui/ or Strange l)ays becausc of their emphasis on race,bLrt a lso I conte d that b lacl< c inema, in i rs \ew Black Crnema permutalon, ca no tongcr supp()rr tnc nrasctr l ine narrat ives of a f i l rn l ike Deui lbecause of the conf l ic t ing spl i r imagery of media black mascul in i ty. In otherwords, the prototypical, recuperative inragery oi black men in the earlyf i lms of New Black ( i inema are t lo longcr v iable tepresentacions bccause oftheir unconrpl icatcd, s i rnpl istrcal ly redenrpt ive discursiv i ty.

-fwo things have happened: First. Ncw l l lacl< Cincma has succeededin changing the iace of Amcrjcan cinenra in that b lack-rhemed i i lms, black

Boyz, Ilo1,z, Ilo1,z 97

rnalc characters, and blacl< rrrale stars have nrulriplicd and done sci wrtheconomic and indLrsrr ia l success. l i Sccond, in rhe expansion of market andaudience, thcre are l ireilrcr derrands on thc hlack fi lm. Wirh rhe ambiguiryof the black male and the black male narrarive, rhere is necessarily a changcin subject marter, diifercnr rhemes of racialized subjcct formations, differcnt themat ic conrexrs for the black nrale, l l r is has cntai led a move awaylrorn rhc mascul inc. urban certered narrat ive of the in i t ia l ourpour ing ofNerv Black Cincnr.rl ' ' to rhc decidcdll Post Nt,w Black Cinerna focus onfanr i ly l lxr th urb.rn ; rnd rur.al1, rhc bl . rck middle c lass, : rnd fcmale cenrerednarratr ,"e and r<) rhc Posr New l l lack Cinema shrf t in the s igni fy ing practrcesoi rrcc and black cinerna. \X/ith the seconcl significatory conrp<)ncnt, I meant() soggest thar blaekncss is inscr ibed rn reccnt f i lms in a nrore aesrhccicnrilnner as :r w:rv ol l<xrkrng, as a rvay of being, as opposed to the blackcharactcr or mist' ot scine oi blackness clctermining and defining the fi lmsot \ew lJlack (.rncrna. ln rhc firsr insrance and the broaclening of narra_tir.es, I rcfer ro fi lms l ike Sou[ Food, I)oun in tbe Delta, E,ue.s Bayou, Friday, fbe Brctthcrs, Kingdom Come, Set lt Ot'f. and \Xlaiting to Exhale, rcrrame a few. In thc sccond insrance, I rcfer to fi lms l ike Summer of Sam andthe more recenr I:rom Hell in which blackness is rendered as a transgeneriehermenetrric device which prr>vides an interprerarior of whiteness in narrat ives about whi te men.

' i ir bctre r undcrsrand thc t,\ew ro rhe posr New, I return to the discus-sron rhe Du llosiarr grft. New Black Cinenra emerges from a historic andpol i r ical awareness of doublc consciousness in rhar the in i t iat project rs arecodirrg of blackncss and blacl< masculiniry, exposing a hypocrisy in reprc-sentation. In doing so, Ncw Black Cinerna rcveals an incompleteness in thesocil l formariorrs of l>lack men, a sub-personhood in the representarion ofblack masculinity, posiring itself as crit icisnr and crit ical pracrice as culturalproduction. With rhe shifr ro Post New Black Cinenra and the ambiguiry ofblack masculinity as rhe signifier of race. there is a lroucaultian ,.work olthe self" and ertphasis on blackness and black cultural producrion and civilresponsibi l i ry in re-def in ing, expanding, and cr i r iquing blackness from theinconrpleteness of blacl< masculine sup personnooo.