Back to results
Cover image for book Heroes, Antiheroes and Dolts

Heroes, Antiheroes and Dolts

Portrayals of Masculinity in American Popular Films, 1921-1999
By:Ashton D. Trice; Samuel A. Holland
Publisher:McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Print ISBN:9780786410972
eText ISBN:9780786450947
Edition:0
Copyright:2001
Format:Page Fidelity

eBook Features

Instant Access

Purchase and read your book immediately

Read Offline

Access your eTextbook anytime and anywhere

Study Tools

Built-in study tools like highlights and more

Read Aloud

Listen and follow along as Bookshelf reads to you

This book is a discussion of 75 of the most popular films in America from 1921 through 1999 and the changes that have taken place in how masculinity is portrayed in the movies over that period of time. Traditionally in popular films, men have met challenging tasks, but what they accomplish and how successful they are have been drastically changed since the early 1920s. Prior to World War II, men were most often presented within the context of a family. After the war, men were presented as concerned with issues beyond their immediate families, and after 1970, they were portrayed as being overwhelmed by their situations. Recently, popular films have tended to focus on the relationships between men. This work documents these changes over eight decades, using the movies as vehicles to illustrate the major transformations.