Deck 12: Film Stardom As a Cultural Phenomenon

Question 1

In 2006,Tom Cruise demonstrated the central role stars play within the Hollywood economic structure by ________.

A) making the most successful movies of his career
B) successfully blocking the airing of an episode of South Park
C) signing a long term contract with a major Hollywood studio, reinstating a financial practice out of fashion since the 1940s
D) guaranteeing the box office failure of a film by refusing to honor a contractual agreement to star in the picture

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A star persona consists of ________.

A) the catalog of an actor's roles
B) biographical information
C) studio efforts to advertise an actor's films
D) all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A star's pay for a film may come in the form of ________.

A) up-front fees
B) percentages of grosses
C) percentages of profits
D) all of these

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A project developed with a specific star in mind in order to showcase their established star persona is known as a ________.

A) vanity project
B) star vehicle
C) blockbuster
D) publicity stunt

Question 5

During the Hollywood studio era,stars were ________.

A) under lengthy contracts with one particular studio
B) less of an economic factor than they are today
C) typecast less often
D) all of these

Question 6

Maria LaPlace demonstrates that Bette Davis's star persona defined her as ________.

A) fragile and innocent
B) talented, determined, and independent
C) glamorous and sexy
D) driven by her desire for fame

Question 7

For audiences of all ages, James Dean has become synonymous with _________________.

A) rock and roll's first foray into the movies
B) conservative values
C) teenage puppy love
D) modern angst and youthful rebellion

Question 8

________ explores how stardom attracts audiences and affects what audiences respond to on screen.

A) Media studies
B) Cinema of attraction studies
C) Publicity studies
D) Star studies

Question 9

According to legend,Florence Lawrence became one of the earliest film stars when ________.

A) her studio accused a competing studio of starting the rumor that the actress had been killed
B) she appeared in a brief but suggestive nude scene in a film
C) she was discovered having an affair with director D.W. Griffith
D) while working as a waitress in a roadside diner, she was discovered by an agent

Question 10

The star phenomenon relies on collapsing the distinction between ________.

A) an actor's most successful films and his best performances
B) actor and audience
C) an actor's professional and personal lives
D) high art and low art

Question 11

In his analysis of Charlie Chaplin's performance in The Gold Rush,James Naremore discusses the famous scene when the actor eats a ________.

A) glove
B) hat
C) boot
D) pair of pants

Question 12

After studying box office receipts of nearly 200 films released in the early 1990s,economist S.Abraham Ravid found ________.

A) no correlation between a star's presence and a film's box office gross
B) a strong correlation between a star's presence and a film's box office gross
C) a significant drop in the correlation between a star's presence and a film's box office gross
D) a significant increase in the correlation between a star's presence and a film's box office gross

Question 13

Al Pacino's performance as Tony Montana in Scarface is still heralded as iconic in ______________more than twenty-five years after its release.

A) Hispanic culture
B) professional working women
C) lesbian fans
D) gangster rap circles

Question 14

Gay audiences identify with Judy Garland because ________.

A) there is a discrepancy between her onscreen image and her personal life
B) she was not allowed to marry the person she loved
C) she had a larger-than-life "campy" persona
D) her star persona was not especially feminine

Question 15

Audiences of the silent era nicknamed Buster Keaton's signature character the "Great Stoneface" due to his ________.

A) perceived lack of facial expression
B) resemblance to one of the faces on Mount Rushmore
C) heavy white make-up
D) lack of sympathy for female characters

Question 16

Hollywood generates and maintains interest in stars by ___________________.

A) marketing an actor's biography
B) focusing publicity solely on an actor's performance
C) casting actors in different types of roles to highlight their dramatic range
D) ensuring that the public never links a star to a controversy

Question 17

________ developed the signature "Little Tramp" character and,due to the character's continuing appeal,is one of the few silent film stars still recognizable to mainstream audiences today.

A) Buster Keaton
B) Mary Pickford
C) Charlie Chaplin
D) Lillian Gish

Question 18

Lata Mangeshkar's star persona in India ________.

A) thrives even though many fans might not know what she actually looks like
B) even though her performances reflect her adherence to Western value systems
C) demonstrates how a star's biographical background influences the way audiences "read" her work
D) all of the above

Question 19

Materials intentionally released by a studio in order to market a particular film are called ________.

A) promotion
B) packages
C) word-of-mouth
D) propaganda

Question 20

Heather Addison's study measures the rise and fall of Clara Bow's popularity at the box office in relation to ________.

A) her hair color
B) her weight
C) her male costar
D) her presence in gossip columns

Question 21

Using Al Pacino's performance in Scarface or Judy Garland as examples,explain how some stars might appeal to a subculture,which responds to the star differently than the way mainstream audiences do.

Question 22

Until the 1950s,stars were most often tied to lengthy contracts with a single studio.

Question 23

Florence Lawrence became one of Hollywood's first stars after being killed by a hit and run driver.

Question 24

By the 1920s,slenderness became the key physical standard of beauty,thus filmmakers began casting slim actors and actresses in lead roles.Actresses in particular were bound by clauses in their studio contracts,which required them to maintain a particular weight and size.What was the cultural impetus for this change of attitude and appearance?

Question 25

A project developed with a specific star in mind in order to showcase his established star persona is known as a "vanity project."

Question 26

Stars represent a significant portion of a film's overhead costs.

Question 27

The abolition of lengthy studio contracts helped facilitate a growth in independent pictures.

Question 28

After studying box office receipts of nearly 200 films released in the early 1990s,economist S.Abraham Ravid found a strong correlation between a star's presence and a film's box office gross.

Question 29

Hollywood is the only film industry that relies on stars as an integral part of its profits.

Question 30

Richard Dyer argues that a star's image is constructed across four different pub?lic arenas.What are those "arenas"?

Question 31

Explain how publicity played a part in generating the public's interest in Jennifer Anniston's performance in The Break-Up.

Question 32

Explain how one of these figures demonstrates the way the star persona collapses the boundary between performance and biography: Jodie Foster,Mickey Rourke,or Jennifer Anniston

Question 33

Occasionally writers,directors,and producers design a project specifically with a particular star in mind,hoping to capitalize on audience expecta?tions.What are these projects called and why?

Question 34

Explain how Bette Davis's career demonstrates how the star phenomenon depends on collapsing an actor's private life into her performances.

Question 35

Studying how The Wrestler exploits actor Mickey Rourke's decaying looks demonstrates how audiences can respond to a performance on two levels: on the level of the diegesis and in the context of a star's personal history.

Question 36

Describe Indian star Lata Mangeshkar's unusual star persona.

Question 37

How do recent studies question the economic logic of spending so much money to secure performances from big stars?

Question 38

Silent film comedian Buster Keaton was nicknamed "The Great Stoneface" by fans because of his unusually heavy white make-up.

Question 39

Industry economists agree that star culture is central to the economic success of Hollywood.

Question 40

For audiences of all ages,James Dean has become synonymous with modern angst and youthful rebellion.