Remembering the Devil’s Mistress. Lída Baarová’s Contemporary Star Image
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| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Czech stars of 1930s and early-to-mid 1940s are still fondly remembered by various generations of filmgoers and general public as well. Their work, biographies and images are still circulating in the public space through frequent reruns of their films on televisions and site-specific screenings, numerous books dedicated to their lasting star personas and through various audiovisual content retelling their moving life stories. However, there is one infamous star, whom the public perceives as the locus for critical debates concerning major historical events vis-a-vis personal accountability – Lída Baarová. Due to her much publicized and reflected love affair with Joseph Goebbels she is frequently nicknamed “the devil’s mistress”, and her films are sidelined in favor of her much more compelling biography. Therefore, in my article I would like to reconstruct contemporary discourse surrounding Baarová, arguing that it is precisely this amalgam of melodrama and past reality that keeps her image so enduring and relevant. While cultural elites bemoan the existing interest and affection for the fallen star, low-brow authors keep exploiting the story and heat up discussions focusing on historical guilt or lack thereof. Analyzing our lingering memory of Lída Baarová will shed new light on stardom as a tool for explaining the past, the art and the emotion. |
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