Masculinity and Futurism: Inextricably mixed?

In the third chapter of Adilifu Nama’s Black Space, Nama explores the “laudatory fetishism” of black bodies, primarily through the use of phallic imagery and the stark contrast of white and black characters to affirm white heterosexual heroism. As Nama stresses, “When a ‘black’ alien figure is juxtaposed against a white male, it reaffirms a strident binary divide between whites and blacks that suggests that blackness is unusual in physical form.” (93). Hollywood in particular is notorious for exaggerating caricatures of the black body and presenting it as “alien”. Nama employs a psychoanalytic approach to examine behind-the-surface images of American SF films and unravel the symbolic spectacle of these elements (as well as what they mean in the context of American history they were produced in).

Having read this chapter, it felt to me that Brother from Another Planet (1984) seems to actively subvert these stereotypes. The brother is not identified by his skin color, but rather by his three toes, which are used by the aliens in pursuit of him as a characterization of his “otherness”. The primarily Black cast bypasses the contrasting of white bodies to Black “alien” forms. It’s also interesting to note that the brother doesn’t speak during the entire movie. He almost seems to act as a mirror, allowing the characters around him to tell their own stories. Surrounding characters project their preconceptions onto him, and he simply goes along with it. In this way, his silence seems to amplify the voices around him.

What struck me about both Nama’s focus on phallic imagery and Brother from Another Planet was the emphasis on masculinity. This reminded me of the roots of the futurist movement. In 1909, F.T. Marinetti published The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism in the Le Figaro newspaper. This is considered the foundation of futurism as an artistic and literary movement and emphasizes the strength and dynamism of new technologies. Marinetti was a misogynist, and his manifesto focuses on a masculine-focused vision of the future. Although Brother from Another Planet wasn’t “misogynist”, it amplified traditionally masculine attributes, namely the male sexual conquest when he slept with the singer from the nightclub. I wonder if this comes traditionally from the roots of futurism.