Harrison Ford
masculinity and stardom in Hollywood

"Harrison Ford is known for such iconic roles as Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard - but his career of 50 years (and counting) encompasses a plethora of other thought-provoking roles. His off-screen persona has been no less intriguing. Covering a wide timespan, this book assesses Harrison Ford as 'star' from the difficult Hollywood studio years where he began, his blockbusters of the 1980s, through to the impact of ageist culture on his artistry of recent years. The author argues that Ford has generally been seen as a potent, irresistible combination of tradition and modernity. He is an actor who both reflects and utilises changing ideas about American masculinity in the context of Hollywood film production: particular male types are revealed as much in his trademark trustworthy hero act as in his more fallible, less conservative and therefore commercially riskier characters. Luzon Aguado explores these particular star identities and every fluctuation in between. She gives due attention to his much-neglected acting abilities while examining the crucial interplay between star persona and the constraints and conventions of genre. Going beyond standard accounts of Ford's production and pinpointing overlooked aspects of his work, and the creation of the star through cultural artefacts like magazine interviews and advertising campaigns, this book reveals the depth and dimensions of the enduring American screen legend that is Harrison Ford."--

Cover -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1 Harrison Ford, Masculinity, Stardom -- The Development of Masculinity Studies -- Masculinity Studies and Contemporary Hollywood Cinema -- Star Studies: From the Picture Personality to the Media Celebrity -- 2 Harrison Ford, Hollywood's Self-Made Man -- The Making of a Star: The Beginnings of Harrison Ford's Career -- 3 Harrison Ford and Male Individualism in Hollywood -- Enter Indiana Jones -- Broadening the Range: Blade Runner and Witness -- Weir (Again), Polanski, and a Look at the Dark Side

Working Girl: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life -- 4 Harrison Ford, Hollywood's Favorite Father -- Presumed Innocent: Is This Man as Innocent as He Looks? -- Regarding Henry: The Great Shift? -- Patriot Games: The Man Can't Help It -- The Beleaguered Innocent, or "By Endurance We Conquer" -- Air Force One: Everyone's Favorite President -- Six Days, Seven Nights: Intertextuality in Action! -- Random Hearts: Grief Encounter -- 5 Harrison Ford and Aging Masculinity in Hollywood -- A Waning Star? Harrison Ford and the Complications of Aging -- Conclusion -- Films Cited -- Works Cited -- Index