Why ask for the moon when we have THE STARS?

The star system is all about lifestyle, aspiration and fashion. Richard Dyer was the first film and cultural theorist to look at the star system. If we take Marilyn Munro for example, films were made for her. As they were for other stars like Joan Crawford and Betty Davis. The narrative was constructed for the star.

CONCEPTUAL DUALITIES:

- Consumption: manipulation vs. agency
- Film Studies: text vs. audience
- Passive vs. Active
- Stardom: stars as manufactured commodities and social models vs. stars as producers and communicators of meaning, ideologies, desires and pleasures

THE STAR SYSTEM:

- stars as icons, transcending their role as actors
- films as vehicles for particular actors
- scripts written for a specific star
- the importance of off-screen persona
- western cultural conception of individuality: exceptional individual as symbol
- stars personify types - linked with consumption

CHANGES TO THE STAR SYSTEM:

- rise of the male star
- technology - tv, internet
- stars not controlled by the studios to the same degree
- celebrity

RAGS TO RICHES:


Tracing back through time, many pivotal female roles are stories around the transformation of the working class girl's rise to the top. Take Betty Davis in Now Voyager (1942), Anne Hathaway in The Devil wears Prada (a more contemporary example). Also, Joan Crawford in Mildred Pearce (1945).
A classic modern day example of the rags to riches story is Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Interestingly after this movie, the catwalks picked up on the working-girl thigh high boots and not the classic red dress at the end.

If we look at Audrey Hepburn however, there is something different about her. She is the the epitome of Sheike. She was Givenchy's muse. What was different about her was that her transformations were controlled by her, not a man. She also initiated that slightly gamine look. She was never sexualised and had a more boyish nature to her than the other female stars at the time. One could argue that the Jean Seberg's and the Kate Moss's hark back to the Audrey look in some way - with the cropped hair.

An interesting comparison that Pamela made in the lecture was that of Carrie Bradshaw and Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. This movie really did influence New York as a fashion capital. The link between the two characters is that they both have the amazing fabulous wardrobes, but no visible income.

Link: http://bptop100characters.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html viewed 22 June 2011

Link: http://shutupilovethat.blogspot.com/2011/05/best-top-knots.html viewed 22 June 2011

G E N T L E M E N   P R E F E R   B L O N D E S

Link: http://www.newshat.net/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-for-lovers/4202/ viewed 22 June 2011

Marilyn's character Lorelei was just another character she played which emphasised the permissive and sexualised female. Her roles were never the strong and independent type, she always relied on a man or was chasing a man. In fact, it was probably her that caused someone to coined the term - the 'dumb' blonde. Her characters were quite silly, but definitely loveable.

Link: http://www.thisisfyf.com/2010/08/aint-there-anyone-here-for-love-jane-russell-1953.html viewed 22 June 2011

It is interesting to note that Jane Russell is quite manly and amazonian in this scene. Ironically, she sings about not being athletic and such, yet she looks like she could take out any one of those guys on the olympic team!

Also, when she is done up, she looks like a man in drag. This could have perhaps been quite purposeful although not explicitly obvious for the consumer of the time. Now looking back, we can consider these types of things more closely and not just view the film as cynical.

Link: http://www.cinemaspy.com/entertainment-news/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-star-jane-russell-dies-at-89-3843/ viewed 22 June 2011