I love old films. Give me Turner Classic Movies with a few old black & whites any day. There's just something about the elegance, class and culture of early cinematic works that have an intrigue and mystery about it that drag you back to that era.
Perhaps we can credit this excitement to some of the earliest film stars who defined that we know today as "America's Sweetheart," the Comedian and the "Femme Fatale," to name a few (and some of my own favorites).
America's Sweetheart: That girl that can do no wrong in the eyes of the country's viewership. Then most well known of early cinematic days would by far be Mary Pickford. Her status may be likened to the modern day Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts. Whatever she does, sells.
Comedian: Charlie Chaplin- a name everyone is familiar with to even the slightest degree. He defined the epitome of devotion to his career in that he was rarely ever seen out of his goofy, unpredictable character. Today, we may recognize Vince Vaughn or Kevin James in this respect. You may also watch a clip of Chaplin's usual character, here. And one of my personal favorites.
Femme Fatale: the simple definition of the femme fatale is a woman who is so intriguing that she lures a man (or other character-due to modern cultural advances...) into her grip when she then proceeds to harm or fatally wound them. Theda Bara, whose name is actually an anagram for 'Arab Death,' is our first prime example of this character type developed during the first eras of film. Today, one may recognize Angelina Jolie as the best example and recreation of Bara's original.
Obviously, the early film era produced and defined what we know today as expected characters. It is amazing to me that we still use these stereotypes and molds to put our actors and actresses of today into! Over 100 years later and we are still using these concepts created by some of the earliest cinematic predecessors!
Photographs: Bing Images
Video: Youtube.com
Information: Dr. Martin's lectures
Overall, this was a short but sweet blog about some of hollywood's early film star archetypes. Concepts such as "the girl next door" and the "femme fatale" all had their roots in the silent era, and I liked that you gave modern day comparisons to clearly identify these types. I also liked the nod to TCM and classic films. I agree with you that there is just something special about older films. They just felt a lot more honest and classy than most of today's big films. I thought this blog may have been on the short side, but it got its point across very well.
ReplyDeleteI really love this post Callie! I would give it $15 million (if i had it) lol. I really loved learning about these classic stereotypes in class as well and I loved the point you made about how these stereotypes are still used in movies today! I really never thought about how celebrities today can tie into these stereotypes until reading your blog! Love the design! You go Callie!
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