Men to Villains: Competitive Masculinity in The Lighthouse | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Film Matters
  4. Volume 13, Issue 3
  5. Article
Volume 13, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 2042-1869
  • E-ISSN: 2042-1877

Abstract

This paper investigates the competitive nature of masculinity as presented in Robert Egger’s film . Applying gender theory, I examine three crucial scenes in the film that demonstrate the two protagonists’ pursuit of ascendance, which manifests as their lust to possess the lamp of the lighthouse. Borrowing from the works of sociologists, anthropologists, and historians, I was able to understand the naturally recurring crises of masculinity that circulate around a hegemonic model of the masculine ideal, ultimately leading to competition between men to achieve said hegemony. proves this enduring phenomenon through Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe’s volatile relationship and their brutal demise. While the film might not propose a direct solution, I argue it serves as a bleak reminder of how misogyny and toxic masculinity harm men and their relationships with one another.

© 2022 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/fm_00251_1
2023-03-23
2024-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Bird, Sharon R.. “ Welcome to the Men’s Club: Homosociality and the Maintenance of Hegemonic Masculinity.. ” Gender and Society, vol. 10, no. 2, 1996, pp. 120–132.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Bowen, Kate.. “ The Dangers of Defining Masculinity through Labor in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse.. ” Film Cred, 29 Aug. 2020, film-cred.com/the-lighthouse-robert-eggers-labor-masculinity/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Butler, Judith.. “ Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.. ” Theatre Journal, vol. 40, no. 4, 1988, pp. 519–531, https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Connell, R. W.,, and James W. Messerschmidt.. “ Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.. ” Gender and Society, vol. 19, no. 6, 2005, pp. 829–859.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Greven, David.. “ Contemporary Hollywood Masculinity and the Double-Protagonist Film.. ” Cinema Journal, vol. 48, no. 4, 2009, pp. 22–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Hans, Simran.. “ The Lighthouse Review—Inner Demons Get Lost in the Fog.. ” The Guardian, 2 Feb. 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/02/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe-the-witch-robert-eggers. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. The Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers, performance by Willem Dafoe, and Robert Pattinson, A24, 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Micalizio, Preston.. “ The Lighthouse and Toxic Masculinity.. ” Neonstalgia, 29 Dec. 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Mishra, Pankaj.. “ The Crisis in Modern Masculinity.. ” The Guardian, 17 Mar. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/17/the-crisis-in-modern-masculinity. Accessed 7 Nov. 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Nye, Robert A.. “ Locating Masculinity: Some Recent Work on Men.. ” Signs, vol. 30, no. 3, 2005, pp. 1937–1962.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Rees, John.. “ Part Two: The Lighthouse on the Smalls.. ” John Phillips and The Smalls Lighthouses, The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, 1948, pp. 107–120, https://www.hslc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/100-9-Rees.pdf. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Robinson, Tasha.. “‘ It Was a Learning Curve for Everyone’: Robert Eggers on the Lighthouse’s Tech Experiments.. ” The Verge, 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/18/20921056/the-lighthouse-robert-eggers-director-interview-behind-the-scenes-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Sims, David.. “ A Man Moves into a Lighthouse: Strangeness Ensues.. ” The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.scribd.com/article/430915225/A-Man-Moves-Into-A-Lighthouse-Strangeness-Ensues. Accessed 17 Mar. 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Taylor, Matt.. “ The Lighthouse: A Hypnotic Nightmare about Masculinity.. ” The Pop Break, Oct. 2019, https://thepopbreak.com/2019/10/15/the-lighthouse-a-hypnotic-nightmare-about-masculinity/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Tosh, John.. “ What Should Historians Do with Masculinity? Reflections on Nineteenth-Century Britain.. ” History Workshop, no. 38, Oxford University Press;, 1994, pp. 179–202.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers, performance by Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ralph Ineson, and Harvey Scrimshaw, and Kate Dickie, A24, 2015.
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/fm_00251_1
Loading
Men to Villains: Competitive Masculinity in The Lighthouse
Film Matters 13, 82 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1386/fm_00251_1
/content/journals/10.1386/fm_00251_1
/content/journals/10.1386/fm_00251_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): competitive masculinity; gender and film; gender studies; homosociality; masculinity; The Lighthouse

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error