Cuerpos de cine: masculinidades carnales en el cine y la cultura popular.

Fouz-Hernández, Santiago

Abstract

This book explores the representation of masculinity and the male body in contemporary film and popular culture. Paying special attention to the case of Spain and its relation to international cultural production during the democratic period, it includes key relevant case studies from North American and Western European film and popular culture that have impacted on popular domestic discourses on masculinities. The project builds upon existing academic interpretations of contemporary depictions of the body, but it expands them by both exploring some material that has received little academic attention until now, and framing that material within a Spanish theoretical and socio-historical framework. The corpus of case studies has been carefully chosen to facilitate cross-media analysis in order to test rigorously the extent to which contemporary representations of the male body and masculinity can be said to belong to a coherent visual economy. Materials covered include: the films of leading Spanish contemporary directors (Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, Bigas Luna and Ventura Pons); the recently revived Hollywood gladiator films; the Merchant Ivory film adaptations of E. M. Forster´s classic novels; iconic music videos, live performances and advertising campaigns by Madonna; and the adult comic books of German cartoonist Ralf König.

Citation

Fouz-Hernández, S. (2013). Cuerpos de cine: masculinidades carnales en el cine y la cultura popular. Edicions Bellaterra

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Publication Date: 2013
• Series Title: SGU(serie general universitaria)
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1125648
• Publisher URL: https://www.bellaterra.coop/es/libros/cuerpos-de-cine
• Additional Information: Reviews - Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies 16.3 (pp. 325-328): ‘Cuerpos de cine makes a significant contribution [to Gender Studies research in Spanish] not just because its author, Santiago Fouz Hernández, is an authoritative voice in the field having only published in English until now, but also because of the assuredness and originality with which this study investigates masculinities as culturally constructed’ […] ‘it is pertinent to recognize Santiago Fouz Hernández’s book as a reference work, since it lays out some of the ground on which future research into masculinities should be built’ (reviewed by Alberto Berzosa Camacho). <BR> - International Journal of Iberian Studies 30.3 (pp. 234-237): 'This volume constitutes an important contribution to the study of gender representation and, especially, to that of the male body in modern cinema and popular culture. It fills an important gap, given the scarcity of such studies in the Iberian field. The volume is thoroughly researched and beautifully edited. Moreover, Professor Fouz’s essay is not restricted to the Hispanic world but launches into a global gaze that allows him to contextualize his research in broader and even unexpected ways' (reviewed by Jaume Martí-Olivella). - Filología y Lingüística 41.1 (pp. 167-169): ‘With new concepts such as ‘carnal masculinities’ or ‘haptic bodies’, Fouz Hernández (…) draws our attention to the fact that the body is not just an object of symbolic representation but that, as an image, it also has a significant materiality that has an affective and physiological effect on the spectators.’ […] ‘The publication of this book in Spanish is to be celebrated (…) The topic of masculinities has yet to be consolidated in Spanish and Latin American academia, and this book is an excellent contribution to that process.’ (reviewed by Dorde Cuvardic García). - Cáscara Amarga January 2014: ‘An intelligent (…) book that questions the hegemonic and, in some cases, heterocentric gaze in recent works where the notion of masculinity, as well as its icons and fetishes, are redefined and negotiated. A stimulating book in the growing field of Studies of Gender and Sexuality written directly in Spanish’. (reviewed by Eduardo Nabal).