| Description |
212 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Contents |
1. Life as a Man in the Reagan Revolution -- 2. Hard Bodies: The Reagan Heroes -- 3. Fathers and Sons: Continuity and Revolution in the Reagan Years -- 4. The Bush Style -- 5. The Movies Are Looking for a Few Good White Men -- 6. Terminal Masculinity: Men in the Early 1990s -- 7. Masculinity and the Reagan Legacy |
| Summary |
"Hard Bodies looks at some of the most popular films of the Reagan era and examines how the characters, themes, and stories presented in them often helped to reinforce and disseminate the policies, programs, and beliefs of the "Reagan Revolution." In particular, because Ronald Reagan was himself most often portrayed in terms that emphasized his strength, toughness, and assertiveness, one of the key images of the Reagan era was that of masculinity itself. But the Reagan era also promoted a concept of the nation as gendered, as strong, tough, and assertive, like the President who seemed to epitomize the United States in its confrontation with the "evil" Soviet empire, the Sandinista government, or the drug-trading cartels. Action-adventure films of the 1980s accentuated these qualities, not only as foreign policy methods but also as domestic agendas, putting forward the American "hard body" as the solution to the nation's foreign and domestic failings." "Through her illuminating and detailed analyses of both the Reagan presidency and many blockbuster movies, Susan Jeffords provides a scenario within which the successes of the New Right and the Reagan presidency can begin to be understood Rambo, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Robocop, Back to the Future, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, Mississippi Burning, Rain Man, Batman, and Unforgiven are among the films she discusses. In her closing chapter, she suggests the direction that masculinity is taking in the 1990s."--BOOK JACKET |
| Analysis |
ACCUSED, THE (US, Jonathan Kaplan, 1988) |
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BACK TO THE FUTURE [...] (US, Robert Zemeckis, 1985-90) |
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BATMAN (US, Tim Burton, 1989) |
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (US, Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991) |
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BODY IN FILMS. USA |
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CASUALITIES OF WAR (US, Brian De Palma, 1989) |
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COLD WAR AND THE CINEMA. USA |
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COLD WAR FILMS. USA |
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DIE HARD (US, John McTiernan, 1988) |
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FAMILY IN FILMS. USA |
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FIRST BLOOD (US, Ted Kotcheff, 1982) |
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HERO IN FILMS |
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KINDERGARTEN COP (US, Ivan Reitman, 1990) |
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LETHAL WEAPON [...] (US, Richard Donner, 1987-92) |
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MEN IN FILMS. USA |
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MISSISSIPPI BURNING (US, Alan Parker, 1988) |
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NATIONAL IDENTITY IN FILMS. USA |
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POLITICS AND THE CINEMA. USA |
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RAMBO [...] (US, 1982-1988) |
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ROBOCOP (US, Paul Verhoeven, 1987) |
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Reagan, Ronald |
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TECHNOLOGY AND THE CINEMA. USA |
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TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (US, James Cameron, 1991) |
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TERMINATOR, THE (US, James Cameron, 1984) |
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TWINS (US, Ivan Reitman, 1988) |
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UNFORGIVEN (US, Clint Eastwood, 1992) |
| Notes |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-208) and index |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [205]-208) and index |
| Subject |
Reagan, Ronald -- Influences
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Reagan, Ronald.
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Machismo in motion pictures.
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Masculinity in motion pictures.
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Men in motion pictures.
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| LC no. |
93018282 |
| ISBN |
0813520029 |
|
0813520037 (paperback) |
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