The influence of cinema has been phenomenal. For its audience, it has been a window to their views of the world. From making us sob for the tragic demise of our favourite character to the joy that sparks through our nerves watching the hero’s redemption, cinema has left no stone unturned in exploring our diverse range of emotions.
The pottery of cinema has moulded its viewers into various shapes and sizes. However, sometimes cinema through repetition tends to reinforce a structured, regressive, and rigid idea of masculinity and femininity. Time and again cinema has enshrined the characteristics of bravery, aggression, chivalry, and stoicism as the epitome of masculinity.
Newt Scamander From Fantastic Beasts Series Truly Weaves Magic
On the other hemisphere characteristics such as empathy, nurturing, submissiveness is seen as feminine traits. The stranglehold of these notions is so strong that they barely allow for individuality to take root. However, sometimes once in a blue moon, a movie comes along which breaks through such stereotypes and one such example is the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts series, Newt Scamander.
The Fantastic Beasts series is a prequel to the Harry Potter series. Written by JK Rowling, the fictional wizarding world has seen the rise of a tyrant, Gellert Grindelwald.
He wishes to have a world order where wizards and witches dominate over muggles (non-magical people) because he believes it is their right to do so. In a world where anyone magical was persecuted, Gellert Grindelwald with his skilful oratory had attracted a lot of wizards and witches to his cause.
He wishes to create a world where witches and wizards would dominate over muggles which he believed was for the good of all. Our protagonist Newt Scamander, a Magi-zoologist (an expert on magical creatures) has been sent to New York from England to return the thunderbird to its habitat in Arizona.
With an array of fantastic creatures in perfect sync with the protagonist, he attempts to save a boy from the clutches of the tyrant concluding the first part. The series is a compelling watch and does not fail to capture the limits of one’s imagination.
The first movie starts off with a glimpse behind the tyranny of the antagonist Gellert Grindelwald through newspaper clippings. The background music here seems to be of one that assumes supreme importance, perhaps telling us how Grindelwald views himself. The background music of the second scene in the movie completely contrasts that of the first scene.
Newt Is Not Your Typical Archetype Of Masculine Heroes
It revives in the viewers a sense of hope and optimism and this is when we are introduced to our protagonist, Newt Scamander.
He is on the deck of a ship sitting alone at the edge of a bench with a suitcase accompanied by the contrasting background of people either chatting among themselves or gazing at the skyline of New York. This scene beautifully captures the essence of Newt Scamander without using a single word.
He is very different from everyone else as he does not fit into the straitjacket of either traditionally expected gender behaviour or the type of behaviour expected from the leading protagonist of a movie. Newt sitting awkwardly at the edge of the bench tells us that perhaps he does not like the spotlight and prefers to do good for the sake of it as this is seen throughout the two movies.
Newt does not categorically fall into any archetype of masculine heroes. The famous archetypes of such heroes are brazenly aggressive and courageous, the foolhardy kind, the witty, the intelligent one to the point of eccentricity or insanity, or even the underdog who has been mystically preordained to do something extra-ordinary. Newt is a humble magi-zoologist who simply writes books on magical creatures but is extremely good at his work simply because he is capable of building deep connections with them due to his ability to empathize.
His empathy extends to human beings too. He understands that his muggle friend Jacob Kowalski needs collateral to start a bakery business. Seeing his passion for bakery he anonymously gives him silver shells to start the business. His empathy extends to even those magical creatures that are otherwise considered as dangerous or weird by his fellow magical community as his quote suggests, “There are no strange animals, only blinkered people.”
Newt Effectively Breaks Stereotypes To Unapologetically Be Himself
Unlike many other masculine archetypal heroes, Newt has no facades and displays his emotions openly for the world to see. This is shown in the scene when his friend asks him, “Why did you keep me around?” to which he replies, “Because I like you and you are my friend and I will never forget how you helped me, Jacob.”
This aspect of Newt is very important because almost all cultures have taught men that to be stoic is to be brave. The pressure upon men to conform to such ideals is such that it ironically takes a lot of courage to break free of this stereotype and display emotions.
For someone who possesses a lot of empathy, Newt ironically is very awkward around people and actually has difficulties connecting with them. He seems uncomfortable with people touching him and is someone who has difficulty maintaining eye contact. He has a very peculiar gait, a one that distinctly pronounces his shyness.
He exhibits all the characteristics of a typical introvert, something that is unconventional for the protagonist of a movie where he is expected to fight a dangerous villain. However, these characteristics are not something that he needs to overcome, but rather is a part of his identity. Newt’s imperfect character is a perfect fit in a world that is filled with imperfection.
One who hasn’t watch the movie may think that his character is rather weak, however, that is far from the truth. He is quick to his wand when the situation arises and is quick at thinking on his feet for solutions as it is evident from the scene where he has to save Tina Goldstein from an execution. This is where all similarities end with conventional heroes.
Newt Scamander is someone who seeks to de-escalate conflicts rather than to emerge victorious from it. He along with Tina are the only ones who are able to calm the perceived monster (Credence in the form of Obscurious) and even though they fail to save him, the defeat of the monster in the movie is seen rather as a melancholic event than a cause for celebration.
Newt Scamander is an unconventional character, a significant departure from the typical male characters that we are all used to seeing. It is unfortunate that a character like Newt has to be called an unconventional hero because perhaps we need more role models like Newt who unlike conventional masculine heroes is someone who can be emulated. Newt’s character tells us that cinema does not need to reflect society’s expected behaviour from males and females but rather can be fluid. We need more characters like Newt because cinema could honestly use a more refreshing experience.