"Through a discussion of 75 of the most popular American films 1921-1999, interesting changes in how masculinity is portrayed are revealed. Traditionally in popular films, men have met challenging tasks, but what they accomplish and how successful they are have drastically changed since the early 1920s. Prior to World War II, men were most often presented within the context of a family.

After the war, men were presented as concerned with issues beyond their immediate families, and after 1970, they were portrayed as being overwhelmed by their situations. Most recently, popular films have tended to focus on the relationships between men. This work documents these changes over eight decades."--BOOK JACKET.