A series of essays from an impressive group of international scholars re-examines the problematic status of masculinity both in Hollywood cinema and feminist film theory.

Gathering together thirteen original essays by scholars in the US, UK, and Australia, as well as Steve Neale's ground-breaking article on male spectacle, this collection looks beyond the seemingly unassailable monolithic understanding of the 'masculine' which has previously dominated most film criticism.

`Shows comprehensively from Valentino and Astaire through Douglas and Eastwood to Stallone and Schwarzenegger that it is wrong to take masculinity for granted ... An important resource book both on courses and for further research.' - Alan Sinfield, Gay Times