Casting masculinity in Spanish film : negotiating identity in a consumer age /

This book's thesis seems to have an overly simple, even mechanistic, construction: as a cultural expression, film is closely connected to the level of economic development in society. Hartson (Spanish, Oakland Univ.) focuses on the concept of masculinity, a central topic in Spanish society since the changes it underwent in a new age of affluence. Although the topic is not original, the period Hartson examines warrants inquiry. The post-Franco era and the development of consumerism as an economic engine of capitalist development brought about the expected reordering of values that comes with affluence. Hartson presents this new male identity as problematic and contested by alternative definitions, but in making her argument, draws from a selective number of films, mostly comedies. Unfortunately, critical sources sometimes take over the argument, and as a result, the analysis of the films is too selective, superficial, or simply arbitrary. Certainly, Spanish masculinity as a concept has evolved in keeping with contemporary values, but a better explanation of how it manifests on screen is needed. Summing Up: Not recommended. --Olympia B. Gonzalez, Loyola University of Chicago