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August 2011, Week 2

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Subject:
From:
Donna Peberdy <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:18:34 -0500
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Masculinity and Film Performance: Male Angst in Contemporary American Cinema

by Donna Peberdy

Published by Palgrave Macmillan, August 2011, 9780230283787

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, including Bill Murray, Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, Will Smith, William H. Macy, Denzel Washington, Broken Flowers, Far From Heaven, Pleasantville, Magnolia and Wonder Boys, Donna Peberdy offers a significant contribution to the emerging field of screen performance studies.

REVIEWS:

'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

'Peberdy's 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, USA

'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. Peberdy's 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

CONTENTS

Introduction: Being a Man
PART I: PERFORMANCE AND PERFORMERS
Chapter 1: Performance and Masculinity
Chapter 2: Performing Angst
PART II: ROLES AND REPRESENTATIONS
Chapter 3: From Wimps to Wild Men: Bipolar Masculinity and the Paradoxical Performances of Tom Cruise
Chapter 4: Performing Paternity: Clinton, Nostalgia and the Racial Politics of Fatherhood
Chapter 5: Aging Men: Viagra, Retiring Boomers and Jack Nicholson
Conclusion: Returns, Renewals, Departures

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