{"product_id":"attack-of-the-leading-ladies-rhona-berenstein-9780231192651","title":"Attack of the Leading Ladies: Gender, Sexuality, and Spectatorship in Classic Horror Cinema","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the earliest days of Hollywood sound productions, horror proved to be a popular and lucrative genre. At the center of the Industry's first cycle of horror films was the terrified woman. Eyes straining and mouth open wide as she emitted an ear-piercing scream, the damsel in distress awaited rescue from the monster's horrible attentions. Or so it seemed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe first book to explore the gender dynamics of classic horror film, \u003ci\u003eAttack of the Leading\u003c\/i\u003e Ladies addresses the roles of women both on- and off-screen. Combining close textual analysis with the study of advertising campaigns, reviews, fan magazines, and censorship material, the author presents an in-depth look at such films as \u003ci\u003eBride of Frankenstein\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDr. X\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDracula\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKing Kong\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMad Love\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSvengali\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWhite Zombie\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUsing performance analysis in new ways, \u003ci\u003eAttack of the Leading Ladies\u003c\/i\u003e challenges established views of horror cinema that suggest a rigid sexual division of labor, with men as monsters, heroes, and viewers, and women as on-screen victims. Berenstein details a genre marked by shifting gender roles. Monsters, heroes, and heroines, she asserts, do more than fulfill traditional expectations: they also throw into question the stability of gender categories and the supremacy of heterosexuality. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBuilding on the concept of the \"sadistic male gaze\" and the more recent notion of a \"masochistic male gaze.\" Berenstein addresses the complex spectatorship patterns posed by a genre so concerned with role-play and disguise, a genre that appealed to men and women viewers in the 1930s. \u003ci\u003eAttack of the Leading Ladies\u003c\/i\u003e offers a new model of spectatorship-as-drag where the viewing process itself becomes a mode of performance, and where spectators adopt and discard both traditional and transgressive viewing behaviors. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBerenstein's paradigm of spectatorship, and her combination of textual and historical analysis, is both an important extension of and a fascinating departure from key work in feminist film studies and gay and lesbian studies. The first in-depth analysis of early sound horror film, Attach of the Leading Ladies offers an exciting new way of looking at movies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rhona Berenstein\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231192657\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231192651\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/18\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 274\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.96lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.66d","brand":"Rhona Berenstein","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43990117351679,"sku":"9780231192651","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_cc68e10b-757d-42ab-bcbf-114495d2bc8b.jpg?v=1683303093","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/attack-of-the-leading-ladies-rhona-berenstein-9780231192651","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}