Stars as a Cinematic Phenomenon

Theatre, performance, and memories in fame

“…For Richard Dyer, the 'ordinary/extraordinary' paradox is central to the construction of stardom. As John Ellis (2007) and Christine Geraghty (2007) further highlight, the resulting star images are thereby unstable. This instability is sustained by paradoxes between the 'presence' and 'absence' of extraordinary stars.…”

A Venus in marble and Bakelite: Ava Gardner andOne Touch of Venus(1948)

“…It needs to wobble a little for authenticity and 'human' identification, but not crumble or fall entirely. The Pygmalionesque art of bringing art to life is exemplified in cinema, and embodied most vividly in the form of the star, who as a figure of identification and desire, and yet one who is also absent yet present (Ellis 1992), speaks to the strange proximity of life and death attendant in the image, and between the idealised body and cold, lifeless, marble in the case of sculpture. The Aphrodite of Knidos, sexually assaulted in the ancient accounts of Pliny and Lucian -relating the tale of a young man so taken by Venus' beauty that he conducts a physical act of passion with the statue -is an extreme example (Beard & Henderson 2001: 128-131).…”

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: ‘becoming’ a woman, ‘becoming’ a star

“…Miley/Hannah doesn't gain authenticity but rather learns how to get in touch with her inherent authenticity, how to bring her natural authenticity to the surface. This is articulated most succinctly through the explicit construction of the on-screen/off-screen, or ordinary/extraordinary, dual persona (Marshall 1997, Dyer 2004, Ellis 2007 While, as Miley, she effectively represents 'The subjectivity that is aspiring to be a star', which Littler (2003, p. 13) argues 'is the position that is coded as being "real"'. Not only is the idea of staying true to yourself of central importance to the fictional character Miley/Hannah, but according to empirical research carried out into girls' relationships with female pop stars and fame, it is also central to actual girls growing up female.…”