Men’s Lives (1976)

Director	Josh Hanig and Will Roberts
Producer	Antioch Documentary Films/Distributed by New Day Films
Contributors	Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, professors and co-producers
Length	43 minutes
B&W/Color	Color
UO Library Catalog description:	Uses a series of candid interviews in order to show what American boys and men believe about the American concept of masculinity
Call #	Film Md58
Genre	Documentary
Rare	no
Online	no
Copyright status	PUBLIC DOMAIN
Physical condition	fair
Oregon-related	no

Notes:

AWARDS:

Best Documentary: Student Academy Awards, 2nd Annual Student Film Awards — July 1, 1975, (Antioch College) and Mannheim-Heidelberg International film festival’s Mannheim Film Ducat–1975

This film was distributed by New Day Films a small scale distribution company that focuses on films dealing with social issues.

In a big way this film was meant to relate to the feminist movement of the seventies.  The systematical conditions and pressure placed upon women to fit into their created roles are just the same as those placed onto men.  At this time however, the focus was put on the feminist movement as they were the oppressed.  But what about the “oppressor’s oppression”?

As women started to look at the materially and politically determined ideological systems that create expectations for what is means to be a woman, men weren’t really doing the same.  Josh Hanig and Will Roberts set off across the country interviewing men of varying ages and backgrounds (middle-classed factory worker, young male dancer/gymnast, boys on the playground, men and women at a college party, a barber, etc.).  The documentary is framed by the general question “What is it to achieve?”  The men are interviewed about cars, work, money, women, marriage, competition, emotionality, etc.  to see what their perspective is on manhood and the ideological expectations that predestine the male identity.

Two articles from Jump Cut from 1976 discussing the documentary, one with an interview with Josh Hanig:

Men’s Lives: The Oppressor’s Oppression

Interview with Josh Hanig