Stereotypes Of Masculinity In Film

Masculinity in film create dominant social values and stereotypes for the men in society. One of the most common stereotypes is the ‘alpha male’, a man tending to adopt a dominant or forceful role in social or professional situations. In the movie School Ties (1992) directed by Robert Mandel, the character of Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon) displays this stereotype throughout the film, however it doesn’t take long for the audience to discover his real personality. A number of narrative, symbolic and technical elements have been used. Charlie Dillon is represented as an insecure alpha male because the audience sees him as supposedly having everything, always getting what he wants and having a pressure to succeed because of his family name.

Dillon

is the youngest member of a family who have attended this school for generations, and so, he feels the pressure to do well in school. Therefore, as soon as David Green (Brendan Fraser) the new quarterback appears, he immediately feels threatened. “I envy you… ‘cause if you get what you want, you’ll deserve it and if you don’t, you’ll manage. You don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations, you are who you are,” Dillon tells Green when they are sitting on a deck, after losing one of their best friends to a nervous breakdown. This statement shows that Dillon does feel the pressure to do well in school, because there is an expectation for him already and his jealous of David. It also demonstrates that Dillon is not afraid to put his opinion forward, by talking about his jealousy of Green in front of David himself. Another time when Dillon’s pressure is shown is before the football game. When the announcement is made that “the youngest member of the hall of fame, quarterback Grayson Dillon the third,” the shot quickly switches to Charlie, and he gives a look as if to say to Green ‘I told you.’ Through the use of clever film editing, the audience were able to see the look of great pressure on the face of Charlie Dillon. Dillon portrays the Alpha male stereotype from the expectations that are set by his family, but he always seems to get everything he wants.
Charlie Dillon seems to always get what he wants, and as a result can be quite arrogant and overconfident.

This can also lead to a desire to want more, this can be seen in a scene that shows Dillon using his roommate’s notes to cheat in the exam the next day. This scene cleverly uses music that gives a feeling of suspense in the background and it also shows close-ups of Dillon looking intently at the notes, before he decides to use them for his own good. By using the close ups, this scene shows how determined Dillon is to get what he wants, and in this case it is good grades. However, it also foreshadows that he’ll cheat in the exam on the following day by using the unsettling music for atmosphere. Not only does he get what he wants, he is also prepared to get what he desires. This is shown in the scene where David Green confronts Charlie in his own room and tells Charlie to tell the truth. “Look, alright, alright. How much do you want, okay? Nothing for nothing, alright? How much will it take for you to keep quiet? How much is it gonna cost?” Charlie tries to negotiate with David, but fails. This suggests that Charlie would bribe someone to get what he wants so that his family’s reputation is still kept the same. Charlie Dillon gets what he wants because he is an alpha male, but he also appears to have

everything.
At the start of the film, Dillon appears to have everything, but by the end the audience realise that he wants to be someone that he’s not. Many times throughout the film, Dillon is seen wearing a collared shirt with a tie. This signifies that he wants to be the man his father and his brothers were when they attended that school because he presents himself in such way, he is able to deceive the average teacher. Charlie Dillon claims he has standards set by his family that he has to live up to and he really feels the pressure to be this ‘perfect guy’. However, it drives him, to not only throw away important friendships, but to take advantage of others.
In conclusion, Dillon is a ruthless alpha male who is prepared to do anything to live up to his family’s expectations. Through the use of narrative, symbolic and technical elements, the audience were able to depict the type of man Charlie Dillon is. Charlie Dillon has pressure from his family to do well in academics and sport, football in particular, so is driven to the point that he will lie and cheat to get what he wants. In addition, the audience is positioned to view Dillon at the start as having everything, but develops an idea that he has lied and cheated to get the rewards he has. Finally, in Dillon’s nature, he is prepared to do anything to get what he wants. As a final point, the insight that Mandel wants the viewers to take away is that even though Dillon lies and cheats to get what he wants, in the end it is just a hollow victory.