Star System (Core Post)

One thing that I found interesting from this week’s reading is the way actors were viewed during early cinema. Actors were rather referred to as “picture performers” as it was thought that the skill of performing in front of a camera did not hold the same significance as acting in legitimate stage theater. Even though stars existed within theater, this idea was not at first translated into cinema. In fact, “picture performers” would “pose” for the camera instead of “act”. Around 1910 this mentality started to change with the introduction of Florence Lawrence as the IMP Girl, (an innovative idea by Carl Laemmle).

The star system in once sense can be thought of a marketing system in which to draw moviegoers to a film simply for the chance to see the star on screen. Mary Pickford was one of the first female “stars” of cinema. As we saw through the screenings in class, she can carry short films and draw audiences just to see them because of her star quality. She is beautiful, likeable, and engaging.

Similarly, we screened The Sheik (1921), a star vehicle for Rudolph Valentino. Hansen talks about Valentino as displaying the star qualities of the “Latin Lover”. She also describes his appeal by stating, “he combines masculine control of the look with the feminine quality of ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’…the close-up of his face clearly surpasses that of the female character in its value as spectacle.” He embodies a highly sexualized image drawing female spectators to see the film. Another interesting fact concerning his sexual appeal is that even though he plays an Arab in the film, it is safe for white American women to desire him, because it is revealed at the end of the film that his character is really half English and half Spanish. This reveal quells any unrest that would come from a non-white actor having a relationship with a white woman.

Questions:

Why is the star system still so successful as a marketing tool and does it still draw audiences to films today as it did in early cinema?

How does the notion of a star’s persona interfere or contradict with today’s actors’ fears of being type-cast?

Since its inception the star system has proven to bring large audiences to a film. However, it is possible for a film do be extremely successful without the presence of a star (i.e. Avatar). Will future advancements in technology, as seen in Avatar, have a more powerful affect on spectatorship than the power of a star?