浅析好莱坞电影中的个人英雄主义.docx

ContentsChinese Abstract2English Abstract31. Introduction41.1 A General Introduction to American Individual Heroism and Iron Man Series41.2 Literature Review61.3 The Significance of the Research82. The Analysis of American Individual Heroism in Iron Man Series92.1 Confidence and Anxiety92.2 Self-redeeming and Saving Others102.3 Individual Heroism and Collective Heroism113.  The Reasons for Individual Heroism in the Iron Man Series123.1 Historical Factor133.2 Cultural Factor144. Conclusion15References17浅析好莱坞电影中的个人英雄主义以钢铁侠系列为例 摘 要电影，既是当代文明和生活的重要组成部分，亦是传播文化的常用载体。美国人崇拜的个人英雄主义一直都是好莱坞电影的热门题材。而钢铁侠系列电影就充分地体现了美国的个人英雄主义。通过研究分析好莱坞电影中的个人英雄主义有助于了解美国广为接受的个人英雄主义观，深入掌握中西文化的异同。本文通过对钢铁侠系列电影的背景知识的研究，结合其他学者的观点，分析总结了好莱坞电影中的个人英雄主义的三个特征自信、自我救赎与拯救他人以及与集体英雄主义融合。并从美国的历史和文化两个角度分析总结了个人英雄主义形成的原因。分析好莱坞电影中的个人英雄主义可以深化我们对美国文化的认识，再结合现代的电影产业的发展和个人英雄主义，可为英雄电影的创作提供新的视角、可观的启示和参考性。关键词：好莱坞电影；钢铁侠系列；个人英雄主义An Analysis of Individual Heroism in Hollywood Movies- A Case Study of Iron Man SeriesAbstractMovie is not just an momentous part of modern civilization and life, but also a common carrier for spreading cultures. The individual heroism that Americans worship has always been a hot topic in Hollywood movies. And Iron Man Series is a good example of American individual heroism. Research and analysis of individual heroism in Hollywood films can help us understand the widely accepted concept of individual heroism in the United States and gain a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western cultures.By studying the background knowledge of Iron Man Series and combining with the viewpoints of other scholars, this paper analyzes and summarizes the three characteristics of individual heroism in Hollywood movies - confidence, self-redeeming and saving others, and integrating with collective heroism. It also analyzes and summarizes the reasons for the formation of individual heroism from the perspectives of American history and culture. The analysis of individual heroism in Hollywood movies can deepen our understanding of American culture. Combination of the development of the modern film industry with individual heroism can provide a new perspective, considerable inspiration and references for the creation of heroic movies.Key words: Hollywood movie; Iron Man Series; individual heroism1. Introduction In 2019, one of the highlights of Hollywood heroic films is Avengers 4, where heroes such as Iron Man and Captain America finally retired from the screen. The end of one generation of heroes is accompanied by the rise of another. Then there is the seamless connection with Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the American "Hero Dream" continues. But where will Marvel go next? What should be said about the heroic legends of the new era? In the new era, who can become the successor of Iron Man is the biggest question facing Marvel, and it is also a question that many Marvel fans hope to get answers. Needless to say, Iron Man has always played a pivotal role in Marvel movies. Iron Man Series also highlights American individual heroism. When Hollywood movies are popular, they also affect the values of the audience and spread the values of American individual heroism to the whole world. While the United States believes in individual heroism, it also strengthens the cultural export to the outside world. Movies play an major role in the cultural infiltration of the United States to the whole world.1.1 A General Introduction to American Individual Heroism and Iron Man Series In different times and different cultural backgrounds, people hold distinct interpretations of individual heroism, with different praise and criticism. In some extreme views, individual heroism is the thought and action of separating oneself from the masses and trusting in one's own strength to achieve some social task. It takes individualism as the principle, exaggerates or improperly emphasizes the role of individuals in social life and historical activities, and denies the strength and wisdom of the masses. But today, individual heroism is given a more objective meaning: in order to achieve a great cause of the whole nation, and actively overcome the contradictions and obstacles necessary for dramatic efforts become nature of individuals, in personal activity they showed the heroic tenacious and self sacrifice, this is the spirit of heroism. Individual heroism is inherent in human nature. Its main characteristics are the desire to be recognized by others, the attention of others, the publicity of the personality, the self-centeredness, and the courage to face pressure and take responsibility, said in Interpreting American-style Individual Heroism from Comic Movies: From the Perspective of The Dark Knight Rises (陆倩, 2012(11): 73).Individual heroism is an expression of individualism. Since ancient time, western culture has emphasized individual subjective initiative, and American culture has also advocated individual struggle. Individual heroism advocated by American society is affirming human freedom, advocating personal values, and encouraging individuals to rely on their own capabilities to benefit society and benefit humanity. The individual heroism reflected by the heroes of American comics and movies reflects deeply on the American values. The optimistic, positive, and hard-working spirit of individual heroism also reflects the American Dream of Americans. Among many superhero movies that highlight personality and promote culture, the Iron Man Series is one of the best. Iron Man Series of movies is one of the masterpieces in the comic adaptation film. It is an adaptation from the classic story of the American Marvel Comics and produced by the American Marvel Studios. Marvel Comics is one of the giants of American comics companies. The characters people are familiar with, such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine, X-Men are the property of it. A great deal of these comics was later adapted into movies by Hollywood. Iron Man is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was released in 2008. Since 2008, from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Studios has released 23 Marvel Universe movies. And these movies are all interconnected. Then, in 2010 and 2013, Hollywood successively launched Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, both of which have achieved great success at the box office. So far, three films have been made in the Iron Man Series. And the first two had been filmed by the well-known Hollywood director Jon Favreau. As the photographer of the first two films of the Iron Man Series, Jon Favreau is not only the creator of the Iron Man Series, but also the shaper of the hero character Iron Man. Nevertheless, before filming Iron Man, Jon Favreau was just a third-line actor in Hollywood, and many people didn't even know his name. In addition, Jon Favreau is not a graduate of a regular university, nor has he studied acting or director-related content. It can say that he was born in an unschooled class. However, performance experience in various small sets or production TV series has not obliterated his love for movies. Jon Favreau used a lot of free time to learn some director knowledge, which laid the foundation for him to become a director in the future. Until the release of the first Iron Man, the Hollywood film with highly individual heroism quickly captured the box office of the global film and constantly breaking the records. The advent of Iron Man not only made Jon Favreau famous, but also saved the endangered Marvel, and also spread the important American culture through the heroic role of Iron Man. After that, Shane Black directed the shooting of Iron Man 3 based on Jon Ferry. In the following stories, he continued to enrich the heroic image of Iron Man and spread the individual heroism of the role of Iron Man in his own way. The hero of the Iron Man Series is Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. This series of films is about the arrogant playboy, genius scientist, philanthropist, billionaire, boss of the arms company, Tony Stark, who got a special iron suit, was endowed with extraordinary powers, and set out to become the superhero Iron Man to defend the peace. 1.2 Literature ReviewUnder the situation of globalization, the understanding of national culture should be not the basic information only. Among the many cultural values exhibited in Hollywood movies, the penetration of individual heroism has also manifested incisively and deeply. It has also attracted the attention of people at home and abroad. So many domestic and overseas scholars have conducted research on the American individual heroism. In Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History, Thomas Carlyle(1966) made a programmatic declaration of the historical view of heroes that it is no exaggeration to say that the soul of the whole history of the world is the history of heroes. Leo Braudy(2003), in his book From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity notes that there appears to be a unique fascination and admiration for superheroes (or supernatural heroes) in cultures all over the world. According to the Encyclopedia of Television(Newcomb, 1997), when discussing the American film and television culture, American scholar Hal Himmelstein once said that the world of classic hero activities is a world of strong emotions, but also a harsh world, where the rules include endless physical and moral tests and constant death threats. Heroes represent a system of carefully defined values, in which good ultimately triumphs over evil and, with the help of god, their activities end chaos and restore order and stability. The plot of individual heroism in Hollywood stems from the historical process of the nation itself. Qi Jin(2009) noted in From Hollywood to See American Values of Individual Heroism that Kissinger said that Americans particularly appreciate the cowboy who led the team, who goes alone into a village or town. He probably didn't even have a handgun because he didn't go there to fight. Dr. Kissinger's words expressed Americans' respect for individualism and individual heroism, which is also infiltrated in Hollywood movies. Hollywood movies have not only witnessed the history and development of the United States, but also continued the "Hero Dream" of Americans. There are likewise some domestic scholars have published their own works on individual heroism in Hollywood movies. For example, in Criticism on Extreme Cultural Values of Hollywood Blockbusters written by Hu Lixin and Fang Yongjun(2006), it is proposed that the American individual heroism is the emergence of a savior who carries the hope for world peace and surrenders to disasters. This is the embodiment of American individual's pursuit of freedom, happiness and peace, which also implies a positive individual heroism and values. In From Hollywood to See American Values of Individual Heroism, Qi Jin(2009) mentioned that movies are an important part of modern civilization and life, the various screen images of Hollywood movies have influenced the development of world movies, and the image of individual heroism deeply reflects the personal values of Americans in the movies. This kind of value not only embodies the worship of individual and independence, the pursuit of justice and dignity, but also implies the contradiction between the individual and social order and violence. And Hollywood heroic movies fully demonstrate these individual heroism. In Understanding Heroism in Film and Television Works from the Sublime Category of Aesthetics, Yu Yuanyang(2019) also proposed that the production and development of American films have a strong and obvious individual heroism due to some factors. Because of the accumulation of many different factors, a lot of domestic scholars have various views on American individual heroism.Among the great number of scholars making studies in Hollywood films, some of them also have pointed their finger at the Iron Man Series. Marvel creator Stan Lee once said, “I think I gave myself a dare. It was the height of the Cold War. The readers, the young readers, if there was one thing they hated, it was war, it was the military. So I got a hero who represented that to the hundredth degree. He was a weapons manufacturer, he was providing weapons for the Army, he was rich, he was an industrialist. I thought it would be fun to take the kind of character that nobody would like, none of our readers would like, and shove him down their throats and make them like him . And he became very popular (Net 1). And Iron Man also along with the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has become the beloved character of countless fans. MSNBC (Microsoft National Broadcasting Program) also commented that the technology in Iron Man Series may be beyond reality, but in the body of the powered-up action robot, a human heart beat. Indeed, even god-like heroes are as flesh and blood as humans. Whether it's a character or a movie, Iron Man is even more popular in China. Wang Lingyan(2013) mentioned in An Interpretation of American Cultural Individual Heroism in Iron Man that the appearance of Iron Man is not exceptional also. The emergence of individual heroes in the United States is normal. They represent freedom, and people's longing for self-liberation of human nature. And this value originated from liberalism in the West. Tang Qin(2012) also proposed in A Study of the Influence of Individual Heroism on Unilateralism in American Culture: from the Perspective of Iron Man that as shown in Iron Man, the protagonist always shows extraordinary calmness and absolute confidence when facing various unimaginable difficulties. By analyzing the cultural factors behind American individual heroism, the two scholars explored the American individual heroism reflected in the Iron Man Series, and then discussed the relevant influence and significance. There are other domestic scholars who interpret the works of other domestic and overses scholars and bring up their own views. For example, the cooperation work of Zhang Wenting and Li Yuanyuan(2016), On the Individual Heroism of American Culture from the Iron Man Series, also mentioned that although the Iron Man Series is a commercial film, but the commercial value of the series does not affect its cultural value. Individual heroism shown in Iron Man Series penetrates into American values. And the series spreads American individual heroism to the world.1.3 The Significance of the ResearchWith the development of the time, film has been one of the main food of people's spirit. Hollywood movies not only bring entertainment to people's life, but also spread American culture and values. Heroism has distinct ethnic and national characteristics, as well as a strong sense of history and time, said i