CIN105Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Han Solo, Social Realism, Method Acting
July 21, 2016
CIN LECTURE 20: STARDOM
• Stars are constructed through a combination of textual, intertextual, and extra-textual
material
• Stars continue substantially to the discussion on film authorship (they are given agency and
industrial authority/power to guide a film
• Stars became overly identified with their characters
Ex. “Rebel Without a Cause” (James Dean completely became his character, Jim Stark)
Ex. Harrison Ford as both Han Solo and Indiana Jones
• Stars are also constructed by the media (tabloids, fan clubs, TV hosts, etc.)
• The textual and inter-textual form the backbone of the star’s persona, while the extra-textual
fleshes the person out and makes them seem real
• Inter-textual
Case Study: Marilyn Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Asphalt Jungle, Some Like It
Hot, The Seven Year Itch)
• Some stars’ private lives compromise the work they do (and the way it is perceived)
Ex. Jane Fonda, Charlie Sheen
• Understanding stars in Economic Terms
Actors are generally considered as commodities within their industry
They are a piece of the puzzle to making a film successful
Once the novelty of technology wore off, a chief concern was who was in the movies
(people didn’t care about the directors so much as the people they saw on screen)
Filmmakers began to rely on the development of stars to sell their films
During the studio era, the goal was to construct the star as an upright member of
society (good people)
Developed a production code that barred certain content from appearing in films
Stars were meant to inspire a moral compass amongst the public; their on-screen and
off-screen personalities had to match
Ex. Grace Kelly, James Stewart (faced combat after enlisting in the war, so he
seemed like a really good guy)
Case Study: Joan Crawford played a woman determined to have a career, so her
off-screen personality was molded to match
Stars should be as good and better than regular people
The METHOD
Constructing a character from the outside in (speech, posture, look, etc.)
METHOD ACTING worked from the inside out; this happened with the
dissolution of the studio system—a different type of star emerged due to a
variety of factors (including the use of independent publicists, the lessening of
constraints on actors, the rise of Method acting, the popularity of social
realism)
Method acting allowed for more authorship from stars, a more personal tough
Ex. Dustin Hoffman vs. Laurence Olivier in “Marathon Man”
• Understanding Stars in Cultural Terms
Stars play an enormous role in popular culture
They are often stereotyped
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Rebel without a cause (james dean completely became his character, jim stark) Case study: marilyn monroe (gentlemen prefer blondes, the asphalt jungle, some like it. Hot, the seven year itch: some stars" private lives compromise the work they do (and the way it is perceived) Jane fonda, charlie sheen: understanding stars in economic terms . Actors are generally considered as commodities within their industry. They are a piece of the puzzle to making a film successful. Once the novelty of technology wore off, a chief concern was who was in the movies (people didn"t care about the directors so much as the people they saw on screen) Filmmakers began to rely on the development of stars to sell their films. During the studio era, the goal was to construct the star as an upright member of society (good people) Developed a production code that barred certain content from appearing in films.
