Cinema Review

What I find so interesting about Rock Hudson is the fact he was gay, yet would consistently star in films where he is deemed the “womanizer” and was viewed as highly attractive and entertaining from female audiences (and perhaps male too). Although it was not known until far later what his sexuality was, it makes the films even better because people have been able to pick up on lines or mannerisms which could hint at his sexuality, which previously would not have been noticed.

Unfortunately for Hudson, he was famous during a period where being gay was seen as a complete sin and frowned upon. However, he is one of several gay icons from the 20th century which eventually paved the way for many to follow.

In today’s media and television, gay stars are crucial to film and TV shows. While they are still not represented in the light they should be, they are appreciated and included in TV.

One star I found kind of similar to Rock Hudson is Neil Patrick Harris. Harris played a very straight man on the TV show How I Met Your Mother from 2005-2014. Throughout the entire time I watched that show, I would have never guessed he was gay. Not only does this make him important as it shows not all gay men act the same, but it was very comparable to the work done by Rock Hudson.

Overall, without the contributions of stars like Rock Hudson, it is a possibility that gay stars or members of the LGBTQ community would not have been seen in television today. It is important to recognize the struggles that stars like Hudson went through in order to create a better future.

Don’t get me wrong- Beyoncé is amazing. She can sing, dance, act, mother 3 beautiful children, and provide an excellent role model for women all over the world. While I believe Beyoncé is an icon as far as calling men out for treating women badly, I do not know if her personal life reflects her music and overall persona. When Lemonade was released, it became quite obvious that her husband, Jay-Z, cheated on her. While relationships are a very personal matter, hers became even more public, with quite a bit of criticism. If Beyoncé so heavily preaches female independence, standing up for what is right, and not letting men walk all over women, why would she stay with a man who belittles her? Many criticized her with concern that she only stayed with him because he is one of the wealthiest rappers in the world. However, the public will never truly know why. Maybe she stayed with him because of their children together, but honestly it isn’t anyone’s business.

I would even argue that with Beyoncé staying with her husband, it empowered her even more as a feminist icon. Cheating inside a relationship is a very complicated situation, and many people are shamed or embarrassed if they choose to stay with their partner. It took a lot of strength for her to stay with him, especially with the amount of backlash she received from the public. I think her staying with him reinforced her as a feminist icon, as women should ALWAYS have a choice in every aspect of life.

As referenced in lectures, it is interesting how although seen as a feminist, her stances on womanhood are always correlated with men. While men are major forces in the tampered rights of women, it is really important to just focus on women, and women as a whole, not what men do to women or blaming them for women’s problems (even if they cause many of them).

Overall, I think Beyoncé sends a very important message that strong women can be whatever they think is strong. Different people can handle different things, and going with what works for you is crucial.

I think what I was most interested in after doing the readings and discussions on Anna Magnani was her real past life. We are told she was a “dynamic” and rebellious woman who always played characters in films who expanded beyond what sort of roles society expected women to play. In the Pitassio Magnani article, Italian war and history are heavily referenced, but I personally wanted to know more about her personal life, and her in general, beyond what the articles and film made her out to be.

After some research, I found it quite interesting most of her back story is unknown. Some believe Magnani was born in Rome, while others believe it was in Egypt. She endured several marriages, all of which were quite complicated. What I also learned was at 18 months, her son, Luca, had crippling polio and was never able to have full function of his legs again. I believe part of the reason Magnani was able to play such low-class, down to earth characters was because that was her life, and she experienced and felt for those people. She was not acting, instead she was truly internalizing her life and portraying it for everyone to see.

This photo is of Anna Magnani and her son, Luca. Interesting how without any context they would appear to be a typical mother and son duo.

Perhaps what was most fascinating about Magnani were her spiritual views, as she claimed to be clairvoyant and often referenced astrology. These ideas are relatively unusual, and you would not expect that from an actress like her.

Overall, it is so interesting how the media picks and chooses certain “ideal” pieces of a star to remember and reflect upon, while leaving much of the controversial things behind. In class, we have heavily discussed the creation of a star persona, and how their past often creates the public’s view of them. While Marilyn Monroe was heavily criticized for her past, why is Magnani’s not as discussed? Why did people not care to dive deeper into her childhood, acting training, or religious beliefs? I am not sure if it was because she was a foreign film actress, or for some other reason.

Bette Davis has gone down in history as probably one of the most mysterious actresses because of how she did not fit into the typical standards of beauty created by society during her time. She was not deemed particularly beautiful, but was able to perform really well in her films. However, there was a real question of what qualified her as a true “star.” Although she had many successful films and did really well at creating credible characters, she was always doubted because she was not exceptionally beautiful, and was very private. For once, a woman in Hollywood was popular for her acting skills and talent, instead of just her beauty. What drove the media and public absolutely mad was how private Bette Davis was, and especially in regards to her marriages and sexuality in general. “Despite Davis’s public image of female strength, determination, independence and professionalism, there remained something unfathomable about her private self: namely, her passions and sexuality.” (Shingler and Gledhill 2008). Audiences constantly feel like they are entitled to know these private facts about Hollywood stars, and the lack of information raises a lot of questions. While people continued to consume her films hoping to gain more clues, it always still remained a mystery to audiences why she was so private about her sexuality. Actresses like Bette Davis were crucial for laying the groundwork for women who are worth more than just their looks. 

I personally feel that Bette Davis was quite beautiful, and even resembled many physical traits of Marilyn Monroe. It is quite sad that Davis was devalued as an actress because she was only talented, but not sexually attractive to men. In this photo below, she has the blonde hair, large eyes with long eyelashes, a cute nose and full lips, all of which were considered beautiful in her time. 

Even today women in Hollywood are devalued if they are not viewed as “beautiful.” Women who are plus sized are often cast into comedic roles, as that is often seen as one of their only uses in Hollywood because they are not a “classic beauty.” Many actress’s of color are rarely cast as leading stars in romance movies because they are not a “classic beauty” even though they are just as talented and just as beautiful as the white actresses who end up getting cast instead. Beauty should not be all women are graded on or judged on, instead they should be judged on their character, talent, ideas, and humor. Because these women are who audiences consume so much of, it is important to cast women on more than beauty. If films only cast women based on their looks, what are we teaching the audiences who consume these films and TV shows, when they constantly only see the same kind of woman playing the same kind of roles? It is crucial we begin to put men and women in a variety of different roles which showcase different sets of physical traits. It is time Hollywood looks beyond the beauty or sexuality of women, and cast them based on their talents. 

Week 3 was an interesting week as far as content, with the idea of how stars become stars further explored, as well as entering into star “types.” The content about Marlene Dietrich was quite fascinating as we were comparing her to the type “femme fatale.” I had personally never heard of this sort of phrase, but it really made sense after it was explained. The idea of a “dangerous” woman is quite interesting as it really goes on to explain how men feel that they are always in control, but a woman who has the ability to take away that sense of control via beauty or being mischievous is “dangerous.” Some stars, like Marlene Dietrich, embraced the concept of femme fatale and used it to develop their image, and full embodied it as themselves. Prior to the 60s, it was highly frowned upon for women to openly discuss or be seen as sexual beings, and the women who did were quite “dangerous.” Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich were both examples of women who took advantage of these societal standards and used them to gain major popularity. “Star images function crucially in relation to contradictions within and between ideologies, which they seek variously to ‘manage’ or resolve.” (Dyer). The ideologies the two of them fought were primarily the sexist societal rules placed on women to keep them as mere objects whose whole point in life was to please men. 

Fast forward to the year 2020 and quite a bit has changed. While women are still victims of sexism every day in a variety of forms, the idea of the “femme fatale” can quite honestly be seen in many of today’s biggest stars. Women are now aware of the power or “danger” they have over men. On the app Tik Tok, there are thousands of videos of women singing along to the words “make his pockets hurt” while typically dressed in cute clothing. Using a casual sense of humor, women bring up how easy it is to get money out of men. Singers like Jhené Aiko and Summer Walker are known for their songs about men treating them badly and how they get back at them. Some of Jhené Aiko’s music encourages cheating on men, which is something that back in the day would have caused quite a bit of outrage. These singers dress provocatively, are quite successful, and use their music to show off their attitudes towards men and holding themselves to a better standard. It is incredible to look at how women used to be victimized by the stereotype of “femme fatale” and now take full advantage of it to advance in their careers and be in more equalized relationships with men.

Jhené Aiko (pictured above) typically focuses her music on her self confidence, and how she does not allow men to take advantage of her, and she will treat them how they treat her. One of her most popular songs of 2020 is named “P*$$Y Fairy” which mostly is about her ability to seduce men. The concept of a song like this would have been unacceptable 50 years ago, and even today is looked at poorly. However, Aiko uses the idea of “femme fatale” to feed into the persona that Hollywood and the music industry has created for her, which I find quite powerful. Artists like Jhené Aiko and Summer Walker are examples of what I would call a modern-day Marlene Dietrich. They are not afraid to break the rules, and act in a way that society does not want them to.

Although Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous stars of all time, I never truly knew much about her to begin with. After reading “The Building of Popular Images” by Thomas Harris, I learned how stars truly become stars. “The star system is based on the premise that a star is accepted by the public in terms of a certain set of personality traits which permeate all of his or her film roles.” (Harris 40).  Monroe’s entire persona was based on her personal history (a troubled childhood, pinup modeling, a bad marriage) and her development into the sexy, wity, and mischievous star the media wanted her to be. She fulfilled the desire of many men of the 50s, with her blonde hair, curves, and “dumb” personality. Although her personal life and actual character traits probably reached far beyond what the media wanted her to be, she held on to these traits because she could gain major popularity with them.

In reflection on this, I think it is interesting to see how beauty standards and the concept of beauty has changed so much since the 50’s. Marilyn Monroe capitalized on the fact she was a young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman with a good body. For years after, many women so badly wanted to have the Marilyn look. However, there was a major shift in preferences of beauty in women. While blonde haired, skinny women are still seen as “ideal” there has been huge change in standards. It is now highly valued to have curves, brown/natural hair, and to embrace cultural backgrounds. Many women now curl their hair or focus on glute-intense workouts to try and look more “exotic.” While there is a lot of underlying racism in these trends, it is quite interesting to see how standards have changed over time. Take for example, Kim Kardashian. The entire Kardashian family are major trendsetters, and are ultra famous. Kim Kardashian is known for her curves, intense facial features, and ridiculous reality tv show. Similar to Marilyn Monroe, she was originally only viewed as a “dumb” woman who was appealing to look at. Sound familiar? While some of Kim’s features are definitely products of plastic surgery, it has still caused a major yearning to have curves like that among younger generations of women.

The photo I have attached of Kim Kardashian perfectly shows the example that has been set for many young women today. Long hair, high cheekbones, small waist, wide hips and butt, long eyelashes, skinny arms, flat stomach, and large breasts are what is now seen as the “ideal” body. What is contrasting between the beauty of Monroe and Kardashian is not only the naturalness of their appearances, but how they are presented. The Kardashians as a whole create an example of a certain lifestyle of wealth, and being materialistic. Marilyn Monroe set an example of women being able to take charge of their bodies and sexuality. Since it has been over 60 years since that example has been set, it is now really more of women taking charge AND advantage of how men view women as objects, but to take the power back from it to make a profit or living off that. Marilyn Monroe was similarly open about taking advantage of money, as seen in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where she discreetly discusses her desire for money. In contrast, women are not so polite about it anymore, and women like Kim Kardashian blatantly make it known how they make direct actions to make money or use men for money.

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