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· December 26, 2007 9:17 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
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Posted by Dain, Sunday, December 23, 2007 7:53 PM (Eastern)
Truly, the internet is a wonderful place. I've been watching classic movies uploaded by leslie04film on Youtube. The faces! The clothes! The witty dialogue!
Now, this version of A Star Is Born was released in 1954. This means two things. One, it is not weird that it is a musical, today it is a practically a genre for effete audiences only (like tourists to Broadway), not for "serious films". Two, though it meditates unflinchingly on the dark side of celebrity, it is not as dark as it could be. The first is a golden opportunity for Garland's golden voice, and if it is a little silly at times, the film pokes fun at it. I particularly enjoyed this number, early on in the film when she's just scraping by, perhaps because I'm real fond of jazz (not that a jazz singer would so diva-like):
But what makes the film really striking is its exploration of celebrity, which is perhaps why this film has been remade so many times. So long as film endures, so will the issues it brings to the table. The troubles of the unknown, the sheer machinery aspect of Hollywood, the pressures of publicity, and the deep, deep dependency on fame. There is one really terrible scene when Garland is leaving a funeral and a fan screams at her and rips her veil off.
At first, I intended this article to present the flavor of contrition. I felt ashamed that I bitch about celebrities. I don't know these people. Why are they fair game? I would not like people to pass judgment on me in such a manner.
But then, I thought, I am not a celebrity. In fact, I can think of nothing more horrifying than a whole lot of people looking at me. Hollywood is the myth-making instinct of humanity turned into a business. It is not that celebrities are "not people", but they sought public attention on a grand scale, a goal so very, very difficult to obtain that it cannot be anything but deliberate. I've heard many a time that Paris Hilton (the only celebrity I truly despise) is a nice girl, that people give her a hard time, but those who would seek attention should be prepared for negative attention, or quit it as Dave Chappelle did. People who value privacy first and foremost do not seek to be a public figure. If you are lucky enough to attain the fulfillment of your desires and do not, as did Macbeth, find them to your liking, that is not other people's fault. For chrissakes, I don't care about your problems; entertainers are not victims of society, by my book.
Labels: celebrity, culture notes, film
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December 26, 2007 9:17 PM,
Yeah, I dunno...the idea of putting celebrity "news" where the real news should be, is relatively new.
I mean there has been Hollywood gossip since there was a Hollywood, but the idea of Britney Spears being news, reminds me of 1984--where they created a fake person to plug into the holes left by the real person who had just fallen out of favor.
Since we gave up our Fairness Doctrine, it seems to me this is what gets plugged into the holes left by there not being any coverage of the opposing view.
In that regard...it's hard for me to take it seriously one way or the other. Celebrities were not that important back when we had the Fairness Doctrine.
Sometimes I do sense some of them are crying all the way to the bank, that they embody the notion that bad publicity is better than none at all. That they're making money in direct proportion to how much the public despises them, that they are being encouraged that way. I'm not sure how many people would turn down the money. After all, you can be despised for free.
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