British Masculinity in Transatlantic Cinema

British Masculinity in Transatlantic Cinema explores the Hollywood careers and stardom of British male actors who had fought in the first World War. In an apparently incongruous development in the years after the armistice, some of the men who fought in Scottish regiments during World War I found some degree of career success in Hollywood's film industry, two of which included Ronald Colman and Basil Rathbone. Through exploring transatlantic film history, this book uncovers the ways in which these men were presented in media and on screen, arguing that they carry with them, even in films made at the height of censorship, an appealing and attractive queerness. Owen-King expands on Eve Kosofsky Sedgewick's theory of homosocial/homosexual continuum and offer readings of film texts that use her theories to survey gender and sexual identities within Hollywood's Golden Era.

Carolyn Owen-King is an independent researcher interested in twentieth century British and North American cultural history. Her research is focused mainly in the areas of star studies and fan cultures, gender representation in classical cinema, adaptation of literature to film, and theatre history.

1. The Ghost Goes West. Introduction and Critical Framework 2. The Ladies From Hell 3. Random Harvest, the Uncanny and the Great War 4. Exposing Ronnie: Ronald Colman in Hollywood's Fan Magazines 5. Masquerader: Ronald Colman on Screen 6. The Host of Hollywood: Basil Rathbone in Hollywood's Fan Magazines 7. Glamorous Masculinity, Double Dealing Villainy: Basil Rathbone on Screen 8. Final Curtain: If They Were Kings Appendix 1: Synopses of Main Films Appendix 2: References Filmography and Bibliography Appendix 3: Online References and Websites Appendix 4: Archives Appendix 5: List of illustrations Index