CINE 345 Stars

For the past seven weeks, CINE 345 has primarily focused on female stars. As a marginalized group of people, female stars have often shifted cultural views in society, which is why they’re so interesting to explore. However, that’s not to say that males haven’t done the same. One of the most interesting male stars is Rock Hudson. Being one of the last stars to emerge from the Hollywood movie era, Rock became recognized for both his looks and the types of roles he took. But, despite the immense success he was able to garner during his prime, it was his last few years that really shaped Hudson’s image and left an overall impact on society. 

 

Starring in films such as Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back, Rock Hudson would often be portrayed as this masculine figure that was a women magnet. He had the looks, body, and comedic charm that made him distinguishable and a star at the time. Basically, he was the epitome of societal views of a man at the time. He was recognized for his acting roles, and even went on to win an Academy Award.

 

While it may seem that Rock Hudson had it all, there was a secret he possessed that would make him live a double life. During his lifetime, homosexuality wasn’t accepted in society. Because of this, he had to hide his true self from the public, and would play heterosexual roles to disguise his identity. While it was unknown that he was homosexual until near the time of his death, a lot of roles hinted towards not being fully heterosexual. Many of his roles were ambiguous, meaning that they hinted to him possibly being homosexual. However, because he didn’t really fit into any categories other possible LGBTQ+ actors fit into (such as James Dean), Hudson wasn’t suspected of anything. Basically, Hudson’s private life was completely opposite of his public image.

 

It wasn’t until 1984 when Rock Hudson’s life flipped around. With the HIV/AIDS pandemic growing rapidly, Society had a view that this STD only affected people in the LGBTQ+ community. While it did affect this community at larger percentages in the beginning, HIV can affect anyone. However, a stigma against specifically homosexual men was crafted from it. After a year of trying different treatments, Hudson’s health couldn’t be kept a secret anymore. With his announcement of having AIDS, he became the known first celebrity to have this illness. With the virus attacking his immune system, Hudson passed away just a few months after his announcement. With his death, many revelations came out about Hudson, such as his sexual orientation, as well as several partners.

 

Hudson’s impact on society can be seen especially after his death. With him being the first celebrity to get HIV, it not only showed the seriousness of this virus, but also spread awareness of it. Not only that, but him being homosexual demonstrated that he was more than capable of playing roles meant for heterosexual men (despite him keeping his orientation a secret). In some ways, he opened doors for a more inclusive Hollywood. Today, we witness famous actors such as Neil Patrick Harris dominate the industry. While more work needs to be done for a more equitable industry, Hudson demonstrated that anyone can do it!

Bette Davis is one of the most well known film stars of the 20th century. With multiple prestigious awards and accolades, Bette Davis has the material to back up her accomplishments. However, unlike other female stars, Davis’ path to stardom was possible through her praise, rather than her actions. Bette Davis has an extraordinary career, especially in the 1930’s. With multiple box office successes for her Warner Bros films, she was considered the greatest living actress at the time. Films such as All About Eve went on to make millions, and receive heavy praise by the Oscars with several wins and nominations. With all this praise and approval, was Davis stardom solely based on her talent?

 

Because Davis became so popular from her movie roles, it’s highly debated how Davis reached star status. Unlike most movie stars, Davis wasn’t known for doing any publicity stunts or any advertising for herself. She never did anything big outside of her acting roles, and isn’t known for anything significant outside of acting. However, her roles could be key in understanding how she reached stardom. One of the characteristics of stardom is being able to embody a desire the general public has. With Davis, the closest aspect of her doing this is the roles she took – particularly with how she kept a major lie in her films. One of the things Davis was known for in her roles was how she was able to keep a lie. In many ways, these lies became an aesthetic to her films, and it resulted in a fandom for how notorious her roles are. While her being able to keep a lie became a standard for her, another characteristic of Davis she was known for was her mannerisms. Especially with a British audience, Davis was able to captivate an audience just off this feature. Ultimately, these two features are believed to be her embodying people’s desires.

 

With her acting around the same time as both Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe, it’s interesting to see how different these three women achieved star status. While both Dietrich and Monroe used physical features, Davis didn’t have to subject herself to the male gaze the way the other two did. Also, Davis didn’t have aesthetics involving men the way the other two did. With Monroe needing to belittle herself by playing the “dumb blonde” role, Monroe had to do more than just showcase her talent to be recognized. Similarly, Dietrich had to play the “femme fatale” roles in order for her to be recognized for her talents. With Davis, she didn’t have to play any special type of role. While the theme surrounding a lie was what she was known for, it ultimately wasn’t an aspect of her overall image. Davis was able to play different types of roles and explore her acting potential without losing success. Because of this, Davis was able to diversify her roles, allowing people to witness her true talent and be recognized for it.

 

Ultimately, what makes Bette Davis extraordinary is that her talent was the primary reason for her stardom. As one of the earliest known Hollywood stars, she became an acting standard in Hollywood. She was able to showcase that talent alone could be enough to reach colossal success. Even today, we witness stars such Meryl Streep be recognized solely for her talents, rather than needing to do big things outside their acting roles. Davis was able to reach her potential as an actress, and yet become one of the most recognizable stars of the 20th century. 

Since the beginning of major film productions, the general public has shown interest in actors/actresses beyond the movie script. As Hollywood was establishing itself, so was the birth of stardom we know of today. One of the earliest movie stars is Marlene Dietrich. Starring in films such as Morocco, Dietrich was able to captivate an audience by both her looks and her persona. One of her most distinguishable characteristics is her acting as a femme fatale. In film, a femme fatale is an attractive women who’s likely to cause distress or a disaster to a man. In the case of Marlene Dietrich, she became infamous for having femme fatale roles in her films. Because of that, she was able to rise to stardom, and play out desirable roles in her films many women wished they could embody.

 

Marlene Dietrich had many feminist characteristics through her roles. As a femme fatale, she would often manipulate men in order for her to get what she wants. She would have power over men, and through that receive both her wants and needs. In many ways, she pulled an Uno reverse card on men, and played the same tricks men are infamous for in Hollywood. Because of this one characteristic, she was able to embody something many women wish they could possess. While she has a figure similar to that of Marilyn Monroe, Dietrich was able to use her mind in her roles to get what she wants, rather than her body. Because of this, she could often be considered an early feminist for how she was able to take control of the patriarchy and make it her own through simple mind tricks. 

 

Marlene Dietrich was able to leave an impact through her performances. While the “femme fatale” title isn’t as relevent, women have been able to overpower men, and often get what they want. One of the most popular trends last summer was the “hot girl summer” trend. Here, rapper Megan Thee Stallion advocated for women to not only empower their body image, but to have men beg for them rather than the other way around. This is really similar to Dietrich’s performance in the sense that she was able to manipulate men in order to gain her desires. However, it speaks volumes how much changes have occurred within a 90 year period. Back when Dietrich starred in her films, women weren’t able to advocate for themselves the way they’re able to now. Her performance was seen as desirable to many women because she had the freedom to showcase her manipulations on screen. She embodied what many women desired, which is a reason for her stardom. If we analyze society today, woman don’t need to witness a Dietrich performance in order for them to act like a “femme fatale.” Society has progressed to empower women in ways that weren’t possible in the 30’s. While Dietrich is in no way responsible for these advancements, she paved the way for many actresses in Hollywood, as well as portraying an image many women felt empowered by.

Without a doubt, one of the most iconic figures to this day is Marilyn Monroe. Nearly 60 years after her death, she remains as one of the most important icons from the 20th century who’s still relevant today. While Monroe isn’t recognized as much for her acting, it’s her image that continues to thrive in society. Monroe presented an image that’s based on sexuality, and this image has left an impact still felt to this day. Starting off as a pin-up, Monroe’s career flourished through her looks and body. In the early stages of her acting career, she would often be credited without an actual name, but rather as an object or characteristic (ex: the body, the girl, etc). Basically, she was viewed as a commodity in the films she appeared on, limiting her growth as an actress. Because her early image was so centered on being objectified, she managed to turn her objectification into an advantage. Already starring in controversial films such as The Asphalt Jungle, Monroe was already viewed as a sex symbol by how she presented herself in these film. However, she managed to take things on a whole other level, and she ultimately decided to cover for the first issue of Playboy magazine. With a rise in pornographic outlets, Monroe’s career skyrocketed through this magazine cover.

 

One of the reasons this magazine cover became a turning point in her career was due to how she managed to take control of her image. She managed to convert her objectifications into her “brand” image. She embraced the sex symbol that was given to her, and turned it into a driving force into her stardom. As a result, she began to receive leading roles in the films she starred in (such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), and managed to increase her popularity to astronomical levels. But, just because she managed to embrace her sexuality doesn’t mean it didn’t have consequences. While she was able to receive larger roles, she had to stick with the “dumb blonde” persona due to the high demand from both producers and the general public. Because of this, Monroe was never able to explore roles that showcased her acting potential. Despite trying to change her image near the time of her death, sexuality overshadowed so much of her image that it’d be unlikely that she’d be able to change anything. Ultimately, her rise to fame was a result of sexuality, and it was able to craft the star image we know of today.

 

Stardom is an important factor to Marilyn Monroe, and there’s a reason why she became so popular. One characteristic most stars share in common is that they’re able to embody people’s desires. During the early 50’s, sexuality was still a taboo subject, especially when it came to women embracing their sexuality. Monroe being able to use sexuality to build her image was desirable for many, and it can be debated whether or not her actions pushed a feminist agenda. However, there’s no denying her image left an impact on society. Monroe’s openness to sexuality not only made this subject less taboo in society, but also empowered many women to embrace something natural. Ultimately, Monroe was able to leave a legacy behind, and has been able to keep her image relevant through her actions as a star.