OTC50 #131

STAR POWER DRIVES THE PLOTLINES IN HOLLYWOOD

by PETER THOMAS BUSCH

The studio has the physical capital necessary for film production. And a director brings a particular aesthetic that distinguishes one film from another film even within the same genre.

Hollywood’s star power, though, draws in the crowds at movie theatres around the world and keeps the fantasy escape machine spinning.

Star power makes the blockbuster believable when the audience has been preprogrammed for escape mode. And star power makes a biopic character in an independent film appear genuinely authentic.

American actors, such as John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, provided oversized replicas of real life people. The movie star offered a larger than life reflection within which the audience can see the best and worst of humanity – perhaps not themselves but a near distant neighbour in the community or a stranger on a subway car, a bit further away.

John Wayne would move through the screen as if he was the only one alive, left standing. And Katharine Hepburn would make herself the center of gravity no matter who else was in the room waiting for the focus of the camera.

Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell in Peter Pan could waive everyone on but not change any outcomes.

Everybody relishes the attention garnered by movie star status – with the true superpower being simultaneously attractive but also unattainable. The ambiguous presence is felt without the need to engage. Actors work the screen without acknowledging the audience.

Elizabeth Taylor had that glamorous synthesis of talent and beauty that would draw in an audience without the story even being told beforehand.  Taylor had that magic that more than lit up the screen and continued to hold the interest of an audience for more than a generation.

Steve McQueen was handsome, cool and talented. Marlon Brando was overwhelming talented at times. Sidney Poitier created a state of grace around him – even in the most difficult of human circumstances.

Richard Gere generated starlight until the films didn’t matter anymore – the same charismatic character over and over again, often with a personality flaw such as selfishness, would compel storylines often regardless of the film.

Gere continues to shine, such is star power and movie magic.

Jack Nicholson’s characters were much more flawed to the point of being socially unacceptable, but magically all the more endearing to the screen.

So that’s how the other half of America lived, many streets off of Fifth Avenue, still functioning and trying to succeed despite the obvious imperfections.

Hollywood operates as a media empire with a custom detailed operating system in which the moguls, with the money, and the actors, with the star quality, join forces to achieve success.

This star talent has been all the more necessary against a backdrop of special effects. Dinosaurs alone will not attract the crowds to watch the big screen. Actors must create tension by engaging with the digital creations, and then eventually move on like the audience leaving the movie theatre.

And only real star power can recreate a real life hero. And America so dearly loves heroes.

American actors playing American heroes has a generational influence that can change attitudes and shape future characters for hero roles. The performance becomes about America in all the glitter and all the imperfections.

Every biopic performance becomes a self reflective moment for America. Jessica Chastain as fallen televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, and Denzel Washington as drug dealer Frank Lucas, underscore the human frailties of individuals inside a larger, more complicated than once believed, culture of heroism.

People can learn from the portrayal of real life characters falling from grace.

And screen performances help define important national events. Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Chris Kyle in American Sniper (2014) highlights the heroism of military personal fighting overseas to protect the homeland states.

Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell brought attention to the high risk of space exploration and the inevitable technological flaws so often beyond the control of humanity in Apollo 13 (1995).

What would society do without the perfect example of imperfection, since even in satire lessons can be learned.

And talented stars playing stars can become immutable, with Ray Charles getting the big screen treatment by Jamie Fox, Marylin Munro by Michelle Williams, and Judy Garland by Rene Zellweger.

Stars reflecting stars that provide mirror images of America can be contagious.