Hollywood Stars

Rock Hudson was an American sex icon in the 1950’s. He had classic features of the American male that females find attractive. Handsome face, deep voice, broad shoulders and chest, and he was clean cut. His off-screen persona was built around him being a wholesome American man. He looks the part of a suburban husband, a feature in males that was so valued in the 1950’s. Furthermore, his on screen roles further established this image, showing him as a womanizer.

When the truth about Hudson came out, it was incredibly hard to believe for the people of the United States. This shocking news showed the world two things. The first is that a star’s persona can be entirely false and manufactured. The persona is a product of the film industry and the star system. The second effect was that it revealed true access to Hudson for the first time, but more importantly a truth about the gay community that was not understood, for some reason, at that time. This is that a man can be handsome, masculine, good, and gay. However, what is reassuring is that progress has been made, and there are contemporary actors these days with similar qualities.

When thinking of someone in today’s time period who reminds me of the story of Rock Hudson, I immediately think of Neil Patrick Harris. While he is not necessarily as “manly” as the images of Rock Hudson (hairy chest, big and broad shoulders) he is still considered a handsome man with a lot of heterosexual features.

The first thing I want to point out is Neil Patrick Harris’ role in the great television show “How I Met Your Mother”. In this show, he is one of the main characters, and he is constantly bringing home women to sleep with. He loves to wear suits, drink, smoke cigars, and go out at night to flirt with women in hopes of bringing them home. If one didn’t know of the actors real sexuality, this show would lead you to believe that he is incredibly heterosexual. In fact, in this show his character is trying to set up his friends with girls too.

Another main portion of Neil Patrick Harris’ career is his involvement with advertising with Heineken. Most of the time, beer is associated with masculinity. This brand of beer chose a gay man to be the face of their product, which shows that the lesson of Hudson’s story has been learned for the most part. This is the lesson that a gay man can maintain masculinity – that sexuality is not linked to masculinity or femininity.

We still live in a world where people may not be comfortable being truthful about their sexuality. However, I think it is good thing that sexuality does not define someone’s star persona in some cases. Neil Patrick Harris and Rock Hudson are two homosexual men who both had success acting and representing themselves as masculine, womanizing characters. I am looking forward to more progress with disconnected sexuality and star persona’s if necessary, or embracing sexuality as a part of it!

After watching Lemonade by Beyonce, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen it before. I think everyone should watch/listen to that piece of work because it is beautiful. There are so many positive energies that come out of this video and so many audiences that Beyonce reaches with this art. Lemonade is incredibly inspiring, supporting, and beautiful; it grows on the progress for females and African Americans, but also helps anyone identify with her struggles she opens up about.

As a white man, there are a lot of themes in Lemonade that I cannot personally connect with or feel comfortable talking about on a deep level. However, there is a lot that I took away from this video album for myself – the biggest thing being the way Beyonce treats herself. It is inspirational to observe the self-care and self-value that Beyonce bestows upon herself. Everyone has heard the saying about loving themselves before loving another person. I think Lemonade is a great example of this, because as she goes through the trauma with her husband, she clearly places a lot of emphasis on her own beauty and how amazing she is as a person. It is also admirable how she lets herself be angry and experience whatever emotions come her way.

Another reason everyone should watch this is because she provides a great example on how to go through struggles in a relationship. It is inspiring that she felt comfortable sharing this situation with the world, especially for someone who has a relatively private life. This speaks to her star persona as well. Most of the time she puts herself out in the media or releases new art, it is powerful and serves a purpose.

Clearly, there are huge images of feminism in this film, my favorite being her smashing the cars with a baseball bat. While Bell Hooks attacks Beyonce for the use of violence in Lemonade on her blog, I think it is arrogant to do so because Beyonce is simply creating a sense of empowerment and beauty all in the same image. While this does raise questions if one were to compare this image to her definition of feminism, I think she deserves respect for this work of art and the way it helps women. Bell Hooks calls for more tangible action but she needs to remember that Beyonce is not a politician or a legislative person… she is simply an artist that speaks to issues.

Lastly, the film brings up race very frequently. The sinking police car at the end during formation along with the black child dancing in front of the police are both insanely powerful images. The use of Malcom X speaking about the black woman in America is also very moving. Once again, I do not feel like I can connect with this as a white man, but I do know that Beyonce is doing a lot for the black community by using her platform in this way. Anytime someone gathering millions of views on a piece of art is drawing the conversation of the world to racial injustice, it brings the issue into progression.

I commend Beyonce for this piece of work. I believe it is beautiful and powerful, and that anyone should watch it should they have the chance.

After learning about Anna Magnani as a star, my main interest ultimately lays with the social context surrounding her stardom rather than her as a person. Her acting techniques fit into the time period in Italy perfectly, as she represented neorealism. It is interesting how the end of WWII in Italy sprouted this new wave in film, and this blog will explore how neorealism and Anna Mignani’s stardom came to be.

During WWII, the Italian leader Mussolini had the country in a horrible space economically, politically, socially, etc. The Italian films being produced during this time held no deep meaning or social value, and a lot of them were shallow comedies. Some people in the industry decided to break off from studios to make films with an effort on reflecting the struggles in the country. When WWII ended, these types of films flourished and it was known as neorealism.

Anna Magnani was featured in the film Rome, Open City in 1946, a year after the war ended. The film was about Nazi occupation in Rome, and a man seeking refuge and escape from a Nazi. One can only imagine the popularity this film had in Italy after the country went through such a difficult and trying time. This film solidified Anna Magnani’s acting style and her star persona. Her dramatic performances and facial expressions embodied the neorealist movement in film. From this point forward, she held similar roles in which she was able to master her techniques and bring audiences authenticity and a mirror on society. Her star persona reflected her acting style, as she was viewed as charismatic and authentic. This was perhaps due to the fact that she grew up in Italy during the war and was familiar to the struggles going on in the country; it brought a sense of trust between her and her fans.

Over a decade later, Magnani starred in Momma Roma. In this film, she plays a prostitute that saves up money to earn a modest living. She seeks out her son that she had to abandon when he was just a baby, but the film ends in tragedy when her son dies. At the end of the movie, Magnani’s special acting talents are put on display:

What is striking to me is that even with the war behind them, the country is still yearning for films to represent everyday struggles in the country via neorealist films. It speaks to the level of trauma that the country of Italy faced during WWII that these films were popular for this many years after. Some may feel that the Italian neorealism era in film ended in the 1950’s, but films like these with dramatic performances by neorealist stars show that war and neorealism had long lasting effects on culture in the country.

Magnani developed a star persona that was special compared to other stars of her time. Compared to stars out west, her charisma and authenticity brought fresh air to Italian culture. She molded herself into the film industry in a way that average Italian citizens could identify with, and it doesn’t hurt that she was a phenomenal actress at an Oscar winning level.

Bette Davis was a different kind of star than the typical beautiful star that audiences picture when they think of stars in film. Davis is known for leading the way for women in film by creating her image based on her talent and technique when it came to acting. She starred in a lot of films, and one of her most known pieces of work is the film All About Eve. This movie is about a new young star, Eve, who makes her way in Hollywood by learning from Bette Davis’ character, Margot. Eve’s path to stardom is self-earned, but at the end the audience learns of all the lies that Eve tells to get to where she is. This posting will dive into how Bette Davis’ image in real-life interacts with the film All About Eve, and how the terms real and fake are intertwined in Hollywood.

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Bette Davis became known as a star for her performances in film. She was one of the first stars to have a variety of different roles in films, and was not known for her looks. This is why Bette Davis is real. Her raw performances “usually provoked tears”, and her image was publicized as a talented actor who lacked the beauty of other stars.

All About Eve is a very real movie. Eve comes to all of Margot’s performances and eventually finds herself backstage, where she tells a compelling story. Margot takes Eve under her wing, and Eve makes many shady moves to increase her status in the business, eventually threatening to overtake Margot as a main Hollywood star. This is real because making it in Hollywood may require ambition that overshadows morals. At the end of the film it is revealed that Eve has told many lies to get to where she is, and this is representative of how Hollywood can be fake.

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One of the many reasons that fans are obsessed with their favorite stars is because they feel like they have access into the star’s personal lives. Other actresses are successful in part because of this, using similar roles that fans can feel connected to. However, Bette Davis stayed somewhat mysterious as a person. Her roles varied and fans may have been so attracted to her films because they hoped to get an insight on who Bette Davis is. Bette Davis is real because she made it as a star by her true talent in acting, but does not revealing her true self make her fake?

These themes are still apparent today in Hollywood. Media platforms try their hardest to give the public a view into the lives of stars, constantly trying to show what is “really” happening in their lives. Bette Davis and the film All About Eve were popular a long time ago, but the concept of real and fake were just as prevalent then as they are now.

Marlene Dietrich starred in many films, solidifying herself in cinema with the femme fatale role that she played. However, outside of her work in film, she was extremely influential politically and socially. This post will explore how her public image and her American cinema debut, Morocco, interact with each other to form a unique perception of the femme fatale character, love and women in society.

Most stars in Hollywood fall into a social type that helps connect them with their fans. This social type creates expectations that allow the audience to feel like they know what kind of person the star is in real life, a key aspect in why the obsession with stars exists. Marlene did not have one exact social type. She was sexy, but groundbreaking with her political involvement and edgy masculine style.

Marlene’s main role in film was the femme fatale role, known as a seductive, mysterious women who usually plays men in the end for personal gain. Like her unique social type, her performance in the film Morocco is interesting in the fact that it twists the usual femme fatale and delivers a, at the time, edgy social message. Two perfect examples of Marlene’s influence on culture occur early on in this film (at the same time) when she kisses another female in a night club while wearing a suit. While the femme fatale character is described as mysterious and seductive, Marlene takes it to another level during this scene by showing how free and fun sexuality can be. She looks amazing wearing the tuxedo, something that was unprecedented at the time. Furthermore, the reaction of the club shows how much dominance this character had. This is very empowering for women. Here is a clip with commentary on the scene:

Like previously stated, the femme fatale character usually traps a man and lures the man in, and in the end the woman will have personal gain. However, in Morocco, Marlene’s character, Amy, actually leaves the rich man in the end to go be with the soldier Tom. It is another way in which Marlene was able to put a spin on the femme fatale character.

Marlene, by leaving the rich man in the film (La Bessiere) to go be in love with the soldier, comments on true love and appeals to fans. The public sees stars in heterosexual love relationships in Hollywood and wants stars to be like this in real life. Marlene was married herself for many years, but was a known bisexual.

To conclude, Marlene Dietrich fit her characters into the femme fatale role in cinema. However, in the movie Morocco there are things that put a twist on what we view as a typical femme fatale character. Marlene Dietrich, in her relationships, shows a traditional, appealing sense of love. However, she was a bisexual and pushed social boundaries by actions like kissing women in film. Marlene Dietrich, as a woman, was sexy just like other Hollywood stars. Marlene Dietrich pushed stylistic boundaries for women with her masculine clothing. She was a unique woman who had a unique twist on lots of aspects of stardom.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous stars of all time. When it comes to female (or male) stars from decades ago, she is one of the most well-known names, and for many reasons. She influenced our culture in a lot of ways, but none quite like how she influenced the feminist movement. When breaking down Monroe’s professional career, there is irony in the difference in effects between males and females that her sexuality created.

Marilyn Monroe was the first playboy model. Playboy pushed for a new way of thinking about sexuality, and Monroe was perfect for their image. She posed in new and bizarre ways, always looking natural and sexy in the nude. Playboy celebrated sex and believed that when sex is emphasized in culture instead of being repressed, people will be much happier. The feminist population at the time did not approve of Monroe exposing her body, while men did. Men would discuss Monroe and fantasy about a night with her. Women at the time believed in suppressing sexual desire and concealing their bodies.

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Monroe’s performance in Gentlemen Prefer Blonde’s is a great example of how men respond to her image. Monroe’s character, Lorelei Lee, interacts with her lover’s father in a scene that displays how men interacted with the dumb blonde stereotype. Here is the scene:

The father thinks that Lorelei Lee just wants to marry his son for his money. Lorelei compares wealth in men to a woman being pretty, stating that both “certainly help” in finding love and a happy life. The father is taken aback by her wits, and it shows how Monroe’s dumb blonde image, both cemented by her performances in cinema and photoshoots, puts women in a box socially. Her Playboy shoots and acting performances had men stereotyping women and thinking of them in a sexual way, disregarding their social intelligence just like the father in that scene. The producers of the film were both exposing the social climate of the time, but also appealing to men who had that perception of women.

The irony in the connections between Monroe, sexuality, and feminism is found in the flip in ideology between genders decades later. Today, the feminist community celebrates women who own their body, a concept that Monroe can be credited for starting. Movements like “free the nipple” are common with more radical feminist groups, and it is ironic that a lot of men are not fond of this. When Monroe was making progressive movements, men loved being able to look at her exposed skin and create stereotypes to fit women in to. However, the progression has continued so far that it is now the women that are in favor of it, while men may find themselves upset by it. Perhaps men feel threatened by this movement and how it represents women making movements for equality and breaking out of social boxes in our culture.

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To conclude, Marilyn Monroe contributed to society in many ways. It is interesting to observe the difference in the way the two sexes perceived her sexuality then compared to now. Feminist movements today threaten male power and it is ironic to compare the comfort men held in the Monroe’s time to the lack of comfort now, also credited to Monroe in some ways.