Synopses & Reviews
Masculinity and Film Performance is a lively and engaging study of the complex relationship between masculinity and performance on and off screen, focusing on the performance of "male angst" in American film and popular culture during the 1990s and 2000s. Building on theories of film acting, masculinity, performance, and cultural studies, this book establishes a framework for studying screen masculinity and provides close analysis of a range of performers and performance styles. It also examines the specific social, cultural, historical and political contexts that have shaped and affected the performance of masculinity on screen, such as the aging of the baby boom and the launch of Viagra onto the marketplace, the "Iron John" and "Wild Man" phenomenon, and the racially marked fatherhood crisis. Drawing from an array of illuminating film and actor case studies, Donna Peberdy offers a significant contribution to the emerging field of screen performance studies.
Review
"Peberdys insightful and original examination of male "angst" in the cinema makes a compelling case for the importance of historical context in understanding performances that take place both on and off the screen." - Jacob Smith, Northwestern University
"This is a hugely enjoyable and scholarly consideration of an under-written area of film studies, which simultaneously draws intelligently from and moves beyond existing theorisations of film performance." - Lisa Purse, University of Reading, UK
"This genuinely interdisciplinary work includes some of the most penetrating analysis of identity in contemporary American film that I have read in the last few years. Peberdys focus on performances of ‘male angst breathes new life into debates over the intersection of Hollywood cinema and the politics of identity. Film is expertly put into the context of political debates over masculinity and fatherhood, while never losing sight of real audiences and our fascination with viewing male angst." - Jude Davies, University of Winchester, UK
Synopsis
A lively and engaging study of on-screen and off-screen performances of masculinity, focusing on well-known male actors in American film and popular culture in the 1990s and 2000s. Peberdy examines specific social, cultural, historical and political contexts that have affected age, race, sexuality and fatherhood on screen.
Synopsis
Masculinity and Film Performance is a lively and engaging study of the complex relationship between masculinity and performance on and off screen, focusing on the performance of "male angst" in American film and popular culture during the 1990s and 2000s. Building on theories of film acting, masculinity, performance, and cultural studies, this book establishes a framework for studying screen masculinity and provides close analysis of a range of performers and performance styles. It also examines the specific social, cultural, historical and political contexts that have shaped and affected the performance of masculinity on screen, such as the aging of the baby boom and the launch of Viagra onto the marketplace, the "Iron John" and "Wild Man" phenomenon, and the racially marked fatherhood crisis. Drawing from an array of illuminating film and actor case studies, Donna Peberdyoffers a significant contribution to the emerging field of screen performance studies.
Synopsis
Masculinity and Film Performance is a lively and engaging study of the complex relationship between masculinity and performance on and off screen, focusing on the performance of "male angst" in American film and popular culture during the 1990s and 2000s. Building on theories of film acting, masculinity, performance, and cultural studies, this book establishes a framework for studying screen masculinity and provides close analysis of a range of performers and performance styles. It also examines the specific social, cultural, historical and political contexts that have shaped and affected the performance of masculinity on screen, such as the aging of the baby boom and the launch of Viagra onto the marketplace, the "Iron John" and "Wild Man" phenomenon, and the racially marked fatherhood crisis. Drawing from an array of illuminating film and actor case studies, Donna Peberdyoffers a significant contribution to the emerging field of screen performance studies.
About the Author
Donna Peberdy is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at Southampton Solent University, UK. Her research and publications focus on performance, masculinity and sexuality in American cinema. She is currently researching representations of taboo sex for a collection of essays she is co-editing entitled Tainted Love: Screening Sexual Perversities.
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Being a Man
PART I: PERFORMANCE AND PERFORMERS
1. Performance and Masculinity
2. Performing Angst
PART II: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
3. From Wimps to Wild Men: Bipolar Masculinity and the Paradoxical Performances of Tom Cruise
4. Performing Paternity: Clinton, Nostalgia and the Racial Politics of Fatherhood
5. Aging Men: Viagra, Retiring Boomers and Jack Nicholson
Conclusion: Returns, Renewals, Departures
Notes
Filmography
Bibliography
Index