Robert Redford and American Cinema: Modern Film Stardom and the Politics of Celebrity

(Hardback)

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Michael Allen's insightful study explores the long and diverse career of the actor and director Robert Redford, from his early work in theatre and TV to his contemporary status as an iconic and enduring star. Allen assesses Redfords importance to the American film industry during a period of great transformation: as an influential industry player, an award-winning director and a committed political activist. Allen considers Redfords individual achievements in the context of shifts and changes in the industry as a whole: some of which benefited Redfords own progress and development; some which he engineered himself, as well as discussing Redford's star persona in relation to ageing and masculinity.

Reviews

In Robert Redford and American Cinema, Michael Allen has provided the first comprehensive academic study of one of the most important male actors of the late 20th century. From his early career on stage and television to his eventual status as major star and sex symbol and subsequent career behind the camera, Allen argues that Redford represents the maverick spirit of the new Hollywood and indicates a trajectory for a generation of subsequent male leads. This is an important contribution to literature on Hollywood stardom and the complicated networks of meaning through which a star image is constructed. Its essential reading for anyone interested in American film culture in the late 20th century and the cultural and political landscape of the period. -- John Mercer, Birmingham City University, UK

Author Bio

Michael Allen is Senior Lecturer in Film and Electronic Media at Birkbeck, University of London, UK. He is the author of books including Live From the Moon: Filming and Televising the Space Race (I.B. Tauris, 2009); Contemporary US Cinema (2002) and Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D.W. Griffith (BFI Publishing, 1999).