Abstract
Films have historically contained stereotypical depictions of Black men (Dyer 1997) (O’Brien 2017). Despite progress made in recent years, some contemporary films continue to perpetuate stereotypes of Black masculinity, albeit in more subtle and reconfigured ways (O’Brien 2017). There are currently more Black protagonists featured in films than a decade ago, as opposed to Black men making an appearance as a white character’s sidekick or companion (O’Brien 2017). However, this does not mean that the Black male character is no longer a victim of negation or stereotyping in contemporary film. This study aims to interrogate the stereotypes of Black masculinities in the 2007 American film American Gangster (2007) directed by Ridley Scott, set in Harlem, New York, United States of America, and 2019 South African film Back of the Moon (2019) directed by Angus Gibson, set in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, South Africa. This study is undertaken through a comparative analysis and discussion of the two films. I discuss the two films using semiotic analysis and interrogate the key historical stereotypes of Black masculinity therein, foregrounding the ways in which Black men may subvert or perpetuate these stereotypes. My findings highlight specific stereotypes which are perpetuated or challenged in the selected films, including ‘the uneducated and inferior Black man’, ‘the impoverished Black man’, ‘the Black male sidekick’, ‘the primitive and barbaric Black man’, and ‘the violent Black man’. I aim to reveal stereotypes hidden in plain sight and unearth other aspects of Black masculinity not typically represented or considered.