"Endangered Stardom? Archival research of Star Careers in Socialist Czechoslovakia"
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | One of the most persistent myths of Czech cinema states, that after World War II a whole generation of actors and indeed a certain concept of stardom totally disappeared. There are certainly valid reasons behind such attitude. For one, some local stars were indeed prosecuted, banned from working in the newly nationalized film industry or fled the country. Second, a strong discourse against stardom developed in fan magazines and among cultural elites, with renewed emphasis on the art of performance instead of superficial fame. And finally, the state socialist mode of production called for different aesthetic projects than glossy star vehicles. In spite of the existing ideological, political and rhetorical backlash, the archival data tell a rather different story of lasting screen careers, shaped by compromises, negotiations and second chances. The case of Oldřich Nový perfectly illustrates such situation. One of the brightest stars of the prewar era and early 1940s, with two films released each year, seemed to fade out in the following decade. Staring in only three films, Nový nevertheless held an influential position in Czechoslovak State Film company, enabling him to develop projects in tune with the demands of socialist realistic doctrine as well as with his own preferences and strong performing assets. Drawing on Maria Belodubrovskaya’s research, chronicling the failure of Soviet cinema in the Stalin era to construct a controlled mass propaganda, I look not only at the movies made, but primarily at the scripts, reports, evaluations and political assignments for projects, which were never materialized. It is precisely this kind of materials, that will give us a better understanding of stardom surviving in the early 1950s totalitarian Czechoslovakia. |
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