KINE 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Terry Crews, Jet Li, Homosociality
4 Jul 2018
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Ageing Masculinities and “Muscle Work” in Hollywood Action Film: An Analysis of “The
Expendables” by Ellexis Boyle and Sean Brayton
Abstract
To understand the resurrection of the vintage Hollywood cast in the move The
Expendables, the authors take up the title theme of “expendability” (designed to be
used only once and the let alone or destroyed) within the climate of the economic
recession of 2008 and map its representation of masculinity, class, ageing
oThe authors do this by looking at The Expendables as a labor text
Introduction
The critics found little originality in the story of them movie itself and were not
particularly impressed by the Stallone’s (the producer/actor) attempt to rejuvenate so
many ageing Hollywood icons
The authors conclude by examining how the film and its aging cast reflect larger changes
within the workplace and anxieties about masculinity in general
A Note on Method: Textual Analysis
The discursive (discourse/away from the main goal which is to figure out what; the
authors also want to know how) textual analysis of The Expendables by the authors
seeks not only to decipher the meaning of the text but to also figure out how these
meaning are produced through the relationships between readers and texts in specific
historical and cultural settings/configurations
Texts “are products of a system/culture within which they are defined and made
meaningful”
oMeaning that we view a text as a collection of signs (symbols, images,
soundtracks, bodies) that combine in particular configurations to produce
meaning in specific historical, cultural, and social settings
In the discursive approach, The Expendables is analyzed in relation to the historical
moment in which it was made and circulated; hence, our attention to the themes of
expendability of male bodies regarding labor and aging in the context of economic
recession
The textual analysis of The Expendables by the authors identifies important reflections
on the current discourse about masculinity and male bodies in relation to gender
relations and the US labor market
The “Great Recession” and the Crisis of Masculinity in the Hollywood Imaginary
In the 2008 recession, 8 million people lost their jobs (80% of which were men)
oCultural commentators declared this yet another crisis of masculinity and this
time of epic proportions, especially for mild-aged men
In The Expendables, combat labor can be read as both a literal expression and a trope of
masculine crisis and revival in the workplace at a particular historical moment in the
United States defined by unemployment and uncertainty in the job market
“ The Expendables” as a Social commentary: Aging Bodies at Work
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Document Summary
Ageing masculinities and muscle work in hollywood action film: an analysis of the. To understand the resurrection of the vintage hollywood cast in the move the. The critics found little originality in the story of them movie itself and were not particularly impressed by the stallone"s (the producer/actor) attempt to rejuvenate so many ageing hollywood icons. The authors conclude by examining how the film and its aging cast reflect larger changes within the workplace and anxieties about masculinity in general. The textual analysis of the expendables by the authors identifies important reflections on the current discourse about masculinity and male bodies in relation to gender relations and the us labor market. The great recession and the crisis of masculinity in the hollywood imaginary. In the 2008 recession, 8 million people lost their jobs (80% of which were men: cultural commentators declared this yet another crisis of masculinity and this time of epic proportions, especially for mild-aged men.
