Introduction: Stardom in the 1980s
Chapter 1: Robert De Niro
Chapter 2: Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Chapter 3: Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek
Chapter 4: Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise
Chapter 5: Michael J. Fox and the Brat Pack
Chapter 6: Eddie Murphy
Chapter 7: Sigourney Weaver
Chapter 8: Harrison Ford
Chapter 9: Sally Field and Goldie Hawn
Chapter 10: Meryl Streep
Chapter 11: Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis
Chapter 12: Steve Martin and John Candy
In the Wings
Contributors
Aaron
Baker; Adam Knee; Chris Holmlund; Christina Lane; James Morrison; Jerry
Mosher; Krin Gabbard; Linda Mizejewski; Michael DeAngelis; Rebecca
Bell-Metereau; Robert Eberwein; William Brown
Subtitle: Movie Stars of the
1980s Author:
Edited and with an
introduction by Robert Eberwein Subject:Film,
American
Studies Paper ISBN: 978-0-8135-4760-2 Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4759-6 Pages:
300 pages Publication Date: June 2010 Series:
Star
Decades
Description:
A captivating cast of 1980s power and
talent—John Candy, Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Sally
Field, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Jessica
Lange, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sissy Spacek,
Sylvester Stallone, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Bruce Willis, and
the “Brat Pack”—stars in the drama of this decade. Acting for America focuses on the
way these film icons have engaged in and defined some major issues of
cultural and social concern to America during the 1980s.
Scholars employing a variety of useful approaches explore how these
movie stars’ films speak to an increased audience awareness of advances
in feminism, new ideas about masculinity, and the complex political
atmosphere in the Age of Reagan. The essays demonstrate the range of
these stars’ contributions to such conversations in a variety of films,
including blockbusters and major genres. About the Author:
ROBERT EBERWEIN is distinguished professor of English
emeritus at Oakland University. He is the author of Armed Forces: Masculinity and Sexuality in
the American War Film; The
War Film; Sex ED: Film,
Video, and the Framework of Desire (all Rutgers University
Press), and The Hollywood War Film.
