Constructing masculinities through Javanmards in pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema

Iranian cinema has become one of the leading mediums through which popular images of modern Iranian men are constructed. In negotiating the various and at times conflicting demands of tradition and modernity, film-farsi created models of masculinity that re-interpreted the concept of javanmardi through its heroes and villains. By subverting the masculine hierarchies propagated by the state, these films endowed marginalised men with the moral authority to take on the hypermasculine role without subverting the idea of hegemonic masculinity itself. Alternative films, however, reflected a claustrophobic society devoid of javanmards. This chapter also examines women’s positioning in the structure of both sets of films.