THE MOSAIC OF MALE CHARACTERS IN ITALIAN CINEMA

Abstract

In this article is shown the possibility of using of the cinematic material in the study of various cultural phenomena. The authors substantiate the idea that the movie, belonging to the culture of its epoch and connecting with multiple contexts of everyday life, not only reflects, but through their specific techniques represents and fixes the stereotypical images that are conserved in people’s minds and function in the culture. The authors show on the material of the Italian cinema a mosaic of the stereotypes of male characters that remain «working» (resistant) in the culture to the present day. In the article are represented men’s archetypal and mythical charac¬ters, cliches in the Italian cinema. The most typical and repeating images of men: «little man», the intellectual, the mythical image of Casanova. They all reflect the cultural needs of the society on the most recognizable «heroes». Analysis of Italian cinematic material allowed the authors to conclude that gender stereotypes in optics of artistic experience are very sensitive to the social, political, cultural processes and transformations.