Hin zu einer neuen Männlichkeit im Film

Am Beispiel von Claire Denis’ Beau Travail (1999)

Abstract

Based on a brief theoretical introduction about Laura Mulvey's and Steve Neale's fundamental publications regarding the construction of gender in cinema, this article examines the representation of masculinity in Claire Denis' film Beau Travail (1999), which tells the story of a unit of the Foreign Legion in Djibouti. The focus of this analysis lies on three emblematic scenes that particularly highlight the film's unconventional approach to the male body and masculinity in general. Based on a detailed analysis of these three exemplary scenes in terms of content as well as film-aesthetic aspects, this article will make clear how and with which cinematic methods Claire Denis deconstructs the cinematic representation of masculinity in her film Beau Travail.