Since the early days of film, the representation of masculinity has changed considerably. In the beginning, men instinctively knew right from wrong. They rode to the rescue and saved the day in the nick of time to the admiration and gratitude of society. But over the decades, heroes have evolved from being larger than life and infallible to being cynical, washed up, unwanted outsiders. Violent content in these films also "evolved"―from fistfights and gunplay to brutal attacks and nuclear explosions―repeatedly ramping up in frequency, intensity, and graphic depictions.
But there is more to a violent film genre than violence, and Blood, Guns, and Testosterone: Action Films, Audiences, and a Thirst for Violence brings an entirely new understanding to the nature of such entertainment. In this book, Barna William Donovan examines masculinity and violence in action and adventure films and discusses how the most ardent fans of the genre incorporate this controversial form of entertainment into their lives. Donovan argues that far from becoming violent, the fans of the action film look at the genre as an artistic rumination on the nature of violence, good and evil, and the ever-changing definitions of manhood.
At their very best, or most interesting at least, these films may even reflect on the nature of violence, on human nature, on aggression, and how a self-reflexive, moral society can deal with violence. And since so much of the violence of the world has always been perpetrated by men, action films―more often than not―are contemplations of the complicated meaning of manhood. In addition to fans of the genre, Blood, Guns, and Testosterone will appeal to scholars of film, history, popular culture, gender studies, and audience research.
From Booklist
Although this book’s title makes it sound like a high-octane look at action movies, it is in fact more akin to a film-school text: analytical, philosophical, and written in a dry, measured style. The author is a self-admitted action-movie fan, but for some reason he doesn’t catch the reader up in his enthusiasm. He devotes the bulk of the book to examining how various interview subjects react to—and relate to—action films, observing others, when we’d much rather hear about his own experiences and reactions (he does touch on these, but only briefly). The book is full of insightful scholarship—Donovan’s discussion of the evolution of the action hero (John Wayne and Gary Cooper to Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone) is quite insightful—but the slow pace of the text likely won’t appeal to movie fans looking for an exciting survey of their favorite genre. On the other hand, film-school students will no doubt embrace the book for its detailed analysis of the tropes of the genre. Overall it’s a solid, well-researched study, but a punchier writing style and a more personal perspective might have made it appeal to a wider audience. --David Pitt
Review
Film-school students will no doubt embrace the book for its detailed analysis of the tropes of the genre. Overall it's a solid, well-researched study. ― Booklist Published On: 2010-01-01
This fascinating book makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge and understanding of audiences for one area which has been substantially under-researched: the tradition of action films from the 1960s onwards....[We] found this a really valuable contribution to the field of audience research,, and highly recommend it. ― Participations: The International Journal of Audience and Reception Studies
About the Author
Barna William Donovan is professor of communication at Saint Peter's College. He is the author of The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films (2008).
Description:
Since the early days of film, the representation of masculinity has changed considerably. In the beginning, men instinctively knew right from wrong. They rode to the rescue and saved the day in the nick of time to the admiration and gratitude of society. But over the decades, heroes have evolved from being larger than life and infallible to being cynical, washed up, unwanted outsiders. Violent content in these films also "evolved"―from fistfights and gunplay to brutal attacks and nuclear explosions―repeatedly ramping up in frequency, intensity, and graphic depictions.
But there is more to a violent film genre than violence, and Blood, Guns, and Testosterone: Action Films, Audiences, and a Thirst for Violence brings an entirely new understanding to the nature of such entertainment. In this book, Barna William Donovan examines masculinity and violence in action and adventure films and discusses how the most ardent fans of the genre incorporate this controversial form of entertainment into their lives. Donovan argues that far from becoming violent, the fans of the action film look at the genre as an artistic rumination on the nature of violence, good and evil, and the ever-changing definitions of manhood.
At their very best, or most interesting at least, these films may even reflect on the nature of violence, on human nature, on aggression, and how a self-reflexive, moral society can deal with violence. And since so much of the violence of the world has always been perpetrated by men, action films―more often than not―are contemplations of the complicated meaning of manhood. In addition to fans of the genre, Blood, Guns, and Testosterone will appeal to scholars of film, history, popular culture, gender studies, and audience research.
From Booklist
Although this book’s title makes it sound like a high-octane look at action movies, it is in fact more akin to a film-school text: analytical, philosophical, and written in a dry, measured style. The author is a self-admitted action-movie fan, but for some reason he doesn’t catch the reader up in his enthusiasm. He devotes the bulk of the book to examining how various interview subjects react to—and relate to—action films, observing others, when we’d much rather hear about his own experiences and reactions (he does touch on these, but only briefly). The book is full of insightful scholarship—Donovan’s discussion of the evolution of the action hero (John Wayne and Gary Cooper to Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone) is quite insightful—but the slow pace of the text likely won’t appeal to movie fans looking for an exciting survey of their favorite genre. On the other hand, film-school students will no doubt embrace the book for its detailed analysis of the tropes of the genre. Overall it’s a solid, well-researched study, but a punchier writing style and a more personal perspective might have made it appeal to a wider audience. --David Pitt
Review
Film-school students will no doubt embrace the book for its detailed analysis of the tropes of the genre. Overall it's a solid, well-researched study. ― Booklist Published On: 2010-01-01
This fascinating book makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge and understanding of audiences for one area which has been substantially under-researched: the tradition of action films from the 1960s onwards....[We] found this a really valuable contribution to the field of audience research,, and highly recommend it. ― Participations: The International Journal of Audience and Reception Studies
About the Author
Barna William Donovan is professor of communication at Saint Peter's College. He is the author of The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films (2008).