Written by
Features:
- Marlon Brando
- James Dean
- Errol Flynn
- Clark Gable
- Cary Grant
- Rock Hudson
- Steve McQueen
- Paul Newman
- Elvis Presley
- Rudolph Valentino
- Jim Morrison
- Gary Cooper
Synopsis:
The birth of the male sex symbol began when actors did more than jump on and off horses or swoop swashbuckling from the prow of a pirate ship. Sex appeal came when men looked like they intended to have sex. No one is completely sure about Clooney. Sometimes he looked more comfortable with a cup of Espresso in his hands, but Valentino knew how to lunge, plunge, tango and bodice rip.The repression of the victorian age meant that heroes in films were required to represent a certain moral standard, but Valentino proved there was no desire without shadow, ambiguity and perhaps even a smidge of black eyeliner. He was a hero but not necessarily one of the good guys.
Through the 20th century, masculine appeal dwelled in adventure – Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Steve McQueen – and the simple ability to look very good in a dinner suit – Cary Grant, Sidney Poitier -.The element of the dandy, the cultivated and well-spoken gentleman, is a trait that began to fade fast in appeal by the mid-twentieth century when manly men – Brando, Newman, Hudson – delivered less talk and more action.
