He opens by classifying this as "a post-film noir, contemporary film subgenre that I like to call Guys with Fedoras. A Guys with Fedoras film is usually sub-headed under (although not necessarily restricted to) the sci-fi genre. Think along the lines of Dark City , The Matrix , or A Beautiful Mind. When the Guys with Fedoras show up in those films, you just know that the protagonist’s world is about to be shaken up."
This struck me...fedoras are creepy to me. They are the symbol of the state. Rather, they are the symbol of the gangster state. Have you ever seen one of those movie-newsreels where a busy New York street is shown in something like 40s or 50s and all you see is hats? (Now, showing the same scene, all you'd see is yellow.)
Anonymity, secrecy, implicit danger and harm...the Cold War state; the nuclear bomb state; the surveillance state. I always assumed the authorities who picked up Joseph K wore fedoras.
I'm sure there are any number of books that parse the history and meaning of the HAT--from the practical uses to its role as religious ornament and on to fashion accessory (and how all these "mix" in some odd way to reveal some inherently "human" meaning).
Is there anything comparable for the female? The Fedora is engendered Authority and as such a symbol of a bullying patriarchy.
My favorite fedora movie is Miller's Crossing where the hat is a character in its own right...it just doesn't fit on some guys. It is seen as blessing and curse. It is indicator of salvation and damnation.
Well, the symbol of the hat for woman is a statement in contrast to the male Authority, i.e. hats for women are strictly ornamental and further perpetuate the idea of females as ornaments, though I think there would be certain hats assigned historically to different classes, indicating some sort of social authority.
ReplyDeleteSo, no...I don't think there's a female equivalent to the fedora. Though I find womens' fashion of the 50's fascinating (hats included), and really beautiful in a way that is classy and much less overtly sexual than the way women tend to dress now when they're gussied up.
But, I think this discussion of hats lends to many other historical questions about our articles of clothing, and has given me much to ponder.
...Have you ever seen one of those movie-newsreels where a busy New York street is shown in something like 40s or 50s and all you see is hats? (Now, showing the same scene, all you'd see is yellow.)...
ReplyDeleteI'm missing something with the "all you'd see is yellow" comment. Could you clue me in?
@Kennedy--taxis!
ReplyDelete