British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to Sean ConneryBruce Babington British stars and stardom is a collection of 17 essays and a detailed introduction which deals analytically with the topic of the great film stars (and some thought-provoking lesser ones) of the British cinema, from Alma Taylor and Ivor Novello in the silent period, up to the present day. British stars - even the most famous such as James Mason, Margaret Lockwood, Deborah Kerr, Sean Connery, Gracie Fields, and Julie Andrews - have been a seriously neglected area of film history and star studies. This work looks both at stars who attained worldwide fame through the Hollywood cinema, and those whose contribution is primarily to the national cinema. The essays and introductory discussion range over the whole history of British stardom from circa 1910 onwards, and the many types of British stars produced, including great character actors like Flora Robson and Sir Alec Guinness, foreign actors in the British cinema like Anton Walbrook, the blonde bombshell Diana Dors, and even the pornographic star Mary Millington. |
Contents
Alma Taylor and ambivalent | 29 |
The curious appeal of Ivor Novello | 42 |
the anatomy | 56 |
Copyright | |
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acting actor actress Alma Taylor American Andrews's appearance audience become Black Narcissus blonde bombshell Bond Branagh and Thompson Britain British cinema British stars camera career character comedy Connery's culture Deborah Kerr desire Diana Dors discourse Donald Dors's Dyer embodiment English fantasy female femininity film star film's Finney Finney's Gainsborough Girl glamour Gracie Gracie's Guinness Guinness's Hepworth heroine Hitchcock Hollywood Ibid icon James Mason Julie Andrews later London looks magazines male Margaret Lockwood Mary Millington masculinity maternal melodrama Michael Balcon microfiche middle-class mother movie musical narrative never Night and Sunday offscreen Olivier Patricia Roc performance Picturegoer played popular postwar Powell Powell and Pressburger Press production Queen Richard Robson role romantic Sally scene screen Sean Connery Seaton seems sexual singing social stage star image star persona star's stardom story studio success theatre theatrical tion Trevor Howard voice Walbrook White Wicked Lady woman women working-class hero young