Michael
Luisi
Vittoria
Rizzardi Penalosa
Madison
Lorenz
Benjamin
Noble
Eliza Moley
1.
Early impressions of Arnold
Benjamin: “Hasta la vista, Baby”, Kindergarten Cop,
ultimate alpha male, compared to The Rock or John Cena
Michael:
“Get to the chopper!”, Total Recall, Start
off as being masculine but evolve into being funny (playing against type)
Vittoria:
Had no idea who he was until she moved to London at age 17. He is not as
popular in Italy, but a huge icon in the UK.
Madison:
Remembers people doing Arnold impressions in elementary school even before she
had seen his work. Has some guy friends who look to him as their inspiration
when it comes to getting the pump in the gym.
Eliza:
Parents were huge fans of his work (Kindergarten
Cop) but wouldn’t let her watch because his movies were PG-13/violent
To what other
stars that we've studied can we relate Arnold?
Rudolph Valentino was also foreign, famous for his sex appeal, and a star who demonstrated gender role ambiguity and atypical
masculinity. Although Arnold initially seems like the typical hypermasculine star, he performs both maternal and masculine duties in Terminator 2.
What concepts of identity does Arnold help us visualize?
Terminal masculinity in that he is a metallic, robotic, muscular cyborg tasked with defending humanity and repeatedly seen achieving feats of extraordinary (masculine) ability. Bukatman posits that the contrast between the Terminator, who is physically solid and thus masculine, and T1000, who is fluid and therefore androgynous, represent a conflict between masculinity and femininity with the former ultimately claiming victory.
2.
It is worth noting that at the beginning of every Terminator film, Arnold is naked. In this franchise centered around Arnold's stardom, there is a double fixation on the male body: Arnold's own chiseled masculine (human) form in addition to his inner steel cyborg. No one has ever praised
Arnold for his acting; what he says does not matter, it is what he does and how he looks. The spectacle of Arnold lies in his physicality. This is especially evident upon examining the roles that he has played throughout his career. Arnold's early films include Hercules in New York and Conan the Barbarian - roles about strength and dominance. Later in his career, he is cast in movies such as Kindergarten Cop where his physique is played against him for comedic effect. This duality is a constant in Arnold's career, and Marilyn was similarly typecast. Whereas Arnold's masculine form guarantees his assignment to a specific kind of role (action or comedy), Marilyn's sex appeal subjects her to the male gaze, entrapping her in a different way.
3+4.
The US sociopolitical climate shifted dramatically between the release of Terminator and Terminator 2. The 1990s saw the rise of Reaganism and the end
of the Cold War, resulting on a shift of focus to domestic matters. The American Family became of paramount concern, hence the inversion of the role of the Terminator from invading destroyer (film 1) to superior protector (film 2) as pictured below.
Jeffords makes a case for the
Terminator as maternal figure in that he effectively gives birth to the future of humankind. At the same time, Sarah
Connor forgets her role as a mother and is primarily a soldier for the future. In this way, the classical gender roles are inverted in Terminator 2. Arnold is not solely a hypermasculine hardbody, as he is constantly nurturing John Connor throughout the film; the Terminator is programmed to protect. Although she is actually a mother, Sarah Connor is not limited to maternal characteristics and instead embodies many qualities of an action hero. Michael reported to our group that his mother remembers Sarah Connor representing new and underrepresented standards of beauty upon the film's initial release. Women aspired to be fit and tough like the character.
Femininity is nuanced in this film. On one hand, Sarah Connor's character teaches that women are not restricted to the sidelines and can participate in the action. On the other, the idea that a woman cannot offer the same protection as a strong man (Arnold) is reinforced. Connor has agency and drives the action of the film in many key ways, but as Jeffords underscores, the audience is shown a selfless man who gives up his entire life to be a good parent juxtaposed with a woman who cannot be simultaneously a good mother and a strong player.
5.
Reagan was
a B movie star working in media exclusively before joining the
Republican party and becoming the governor of California/President of the United States. What has become abundantly clear over the past few years is that people want
to vote for celebrity. The general public feels familiar with prominent public figures, and famous faces seem benevolent and
trustworthy. During his tenure as California state governor, Arnold was known to be bipartisan and charismatic. He could work with Democrats despite the fact that he was a
Republican. Perhaps this was related to his long history in the public sphere. This is what we are banking on when we elect people like Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump, with whom we grew familiar on television and movie screens, into office. This phenomenon is not limited to the USA, as evidenced by the integration of stars into European royal families (for example, Grace Kelly in Monaco and recently Meghan Markle in England).
Even when we do not elect stars to office, we want to be led by characters who are relatable, transparent, and able to perform on social media. Take, for instance, the
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