The Interwar Actress: From the Stage to the Screen Cover Image

Tarpukario aktorė: įvaizdžio reprezentacija tarp scenos ir ekrano
The Interwar Actress: From the Stage to the Screen

Author(s): Bruneizerytė-Gaidamavičienė Viktorija
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Lietuvos mokslų akademijos leidykla
Keywords: actress, star system; Hollywood; celebrity culture; interwar;

Summary/Abstract: In different periods, when the actresses appeared on stage, their position was considered, criticised, and constantly discussed. While working and trying to establish herself in a male-dominated market and valued more for her external qualities, the actress was vulnerable and hurt by stereotypical beliefs and assumptions. Ever since a woman first stepped onto the stage, there has been debate about how society should accept her, what she should look like, and how she should behave. Although the mainstream opinion claimed that respectable women did not choose the acting profession, in the nineteenth century a successful actress already became an icon and an object of admiration. The twentieth century brought different changes to the society by popularising photography, cinema, and mass culture, which had a significant effect on the visual representation and reception of women in general and women performers in particular. Therefore, being always in the public eye, the theatre actress encountered a new representation of a film star.The article attempts to present some of the developmental changes in the phenomenon of the actress with reference to celebrity and mass culture, the star system, image creation strategies, and the influence of cinema.

  • Issue Year: 30/2023
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 186-201
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Lithuanian
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