Show simple item record

dc.contributor.supervisorAoki, Darren
dc.contributor.authorRuse, Connor David
dc.contributor.otherFaculty of Arts, Humanities and Businessen_US
dc.date.accessioned2021-08-03T10:42:32Z
dc.date.available2021-08-03T10:42:32Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.identifier10549807en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/17388
dc.description.abstract

This dissertation will explore the representation of physical disability in mainstream films in the 1990s, determining that this onscreen representation was only slightly progressive in nature. It is based on a qualitative analysis of sixteen characters with disabilities in fifteen mainstream films released between 1987 and 1999. The observations from this analysis were compiled into a database examining: the type of impairment a character had, the character’s screen time, the disability terminology used within the film and common tropes used to tell the character’s narrative within the film. Using the database and supportive sources, like interviews with the films’ casts and film reviews, this thesis will address three areas where disability representation saw change, although the new methods proved to be problematic. The first area of study focuses on the disability terminology used to describe characters with disabilities within the film, particularly as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act highlighted acceptable and inclusive disability terminology that should be used to describe people with disabilities. The second area of study focuses on the popular use of the rehabilitation narrative within film in the 1990s. Whilst rehabilitation narratives positioned people with disabilities in protagonist roles, they ultimately present them as ‘others’ that need to be ‘cured’. Finally, this thesis will discuss the popularity of ‘disability drag’ within the film industry in the 1990s, explaining how able-bodied actors performing ‘disability drag’ were praised for their performances, preventing actors with disabilities from receiving major roles within the mainstream film industry.

en_US
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Plymouth
dc.subjectDisabilityen_US
dc.subject1990s Filmen_US
dc.subjectDisability Representationen_US
dc.subject.classificationResMen_US
dc.titleHow progressive was the representation of physical disability within mainstream film in the 1990s, given the increased awareness about disability during the decade?en_US
dc.typeThesis
plymouth.versionpublishableen_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.24382/719
dc.rights.embargoperiodNo embargoen_US
dc.type.qualificationMastersen_US
rioxxterms.versionNA


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record


All items in PEARL are protected by copyright law.
Author manuscripts deposited to comply with open access mandates are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author.
Theme by 
Atmire NV