Arnold: Schwarzenegger and the Movies

257 Pages·2009·1.38 MB·English

by  Dave Saunders

Arnold

Arnold
Schwarzenegger and the Movies
Dave Saunders
Published in 2009 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
www.ibtauris.com
Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
Copyright © 2009 Dave Saunders
The right of Dave Saunders to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part
thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitt ed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior writt en permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978 1 84511 948 5
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Typeset by JCS Publishing Services Ltd, www.jcs-publishing.co.uk
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: There’s Something About Arnold:
Schwarzenegger’s American Dreams 1
I Machina ex Deus: Rise of the Übermensch 9
II Colossus: Arnold’s Hollywood Putsch 47
III Man of Irony: Or, How Arnie Learned to Grow and
Love 121
IV Fall and Rise: The Will to Power 187
Epilogue: The Litt le Boy From Thal 207
Notes 211
Index 239

Illustrations
1. Hercules and Pretz ie commandeer a chariot in Hercules in
New York 27
2. Bodybuilding as artistic practice (Pumping Iron) 40
3. Arnold’s conqueror-god makes play in Pumping Iron 45
4. Schwarzenegger’s memorable arrival in The Terminator 66
5. Making a ‘purchase’ (The Terminator) 67
6. John and Jenny enjoy the idyll of the ranch (Commando) 78
7. Ready for ‘World War III’ in Commando 82
8. Dillon and Dutch at odds in Predator 88
9. The alien hunter admires Arnold’s skull (Predator) 98
10. Ridzik and ‘Gumby’ in Red Heat 115
11. Twins: Schwarzenegger and DeVito pair up 128
12. Crises of identity in Total Recall 140
13. Melina and Quaid (Total Recall) 141
14. John Kimble: protector, drill instructor and kindergarten cop 155
15. The interrogation of Helen Tasker (True Lies) 180
16. End of Days’ Jericho Cane: Arnold as fl awed saviour 194
17. ‘I’m back’: Arnold returns for a last bow as the Terminator
(Terminator 3) 202

Acknowledgements
T
he many who have inspired and appraised this manuscript during
its gestation must be commended en masse for their diligence and
patience. For gett ing Arnold into the public domain, the always-
supportive Philippa Brewster should be held accountable.
My family and friends naturally warrant praise for feeding, watering,
talking to and indulging me during the period of cogitation that
produced the ensuing book. Especial gratitude for supporting me in
numerous, wholly appreciated ways goes to my late and much-missed
mother Jill (a perceptive, witt y and honest critic of both Arnold’s fi lms
and an early draft of this book), my father David, my brother Tom,
my sister Isobel, Les Whitham, Simon Messenger, Ben Cowdall, Tim
and Kate Mason, Leon Daye, Hajnalka Elek, students and staff at the
Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London,
Dave Green and Jim Hornsby of the University of Bedfordshire, and my
brothers-in-law (past and present) Nick Joyce and Dave Wheeler. Lastly,
Paco Nunez – with whom I had many productive discussions while a
fellow postgraduate at Royal Holloway – in no small part stimulated
this endeavour; I therefore dedicate this book to him.
Dave Saunders
2009