Difference between revisions of "Lana Turner as Star (Discussion)"

Revision as of 13:51, 22 April 2013

Group 1: Dyer contends that "Turner illustrates three of the ways that stars function cinematically (that is, within the total signifying practice of the cinema industry situated within society as a whole)".
- What does Dyer mean by "signifying practice"?
- List those three ways that stars function.
Group 2: What, according to Dyer, is the relationship between glamor and ordinariness?
- How does the photograph of Ava Gardener and Turner "embracing" illustrate this contrast?
- How is it expressed in The Bad and the Beautiful?
Group 3: In general terms, what does haute couture (pronounce "oht koo-toor") connote? How is this specifically embodied in Turner's image—as Dyer argues regarding the Imitation of Life scene in which she meets David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy)?
Group 4: How was Turner’s sexy-ordinary contradiction "crystallized" in four "moments" in her early career?
All Groups: What characterizes Turner’s acting style? How is it disrupted by emotions presented as more "authentic" in Imitation of Life and The B & the B?
- How does Dyer make the case for the "hysterics in the car" scene as "authentic"? (View video clip.)
All Groups: What role does the father play in The B & the B, according to Dyer? How does this relate to the off-screen representation of Turner and her father?

Richard Dyer, "Four Films of Lana Turner," Movie 25: 30-52.
- Article illustrations.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:LanaAva.JPG|left|thumb|200px|Ava Gardner and Lana Turner "embrace".]]
+{{Gallery
-[[Image:BadAndBeautiful57 jpg.jpg|none|thumb|320px|"Authentic" emotion in ''The Bad and the Beautiful''.]]
+|title=Lana Turner Illustrations
-<br style="clear:both;"/>
+|width=800
-[[Image:LanaIoL.JPG|left|thumb|300px|A production still of Turner wearing ''haute couture'' in ''Imitation of Life'' — in a scene in which Lora meets David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy).]]
+|lines=2
-[[Image:IoL1959-01.jpg|none|thumb|400px|Frame grab from ''Imitation of Life'', in color.]]
+|align=center
-<br style="clear:both;"/>
+|File:LanaAva.JPG|alt1=Ava Gardner and Lana Turner "embrace".|Ava Gardner and Lana Turner "embrace".
+|File:BadAndBeautiful57 jpg.jpg|alt2="Authentic" emotion in ''The Bad and the Beautiful''.|"Authentic" emotion in ''The Bad and the Beautiful''.
+|File:LanaIoL.JPG|alt3=A production still of Turner wearing ''haute couture'' in ''Imitation of Life''.|A production still of Turner wearing ''haute couture'' in ''Imitation of Life'' — in a scene in which Lora meets David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy).
+|File:IoL1959-01.jpg|alt4=Frame grab from ''Imitation of Life''.|Frame grab from the same ''Imitation of Life'' scene.
+}}
 #'''Group 1:''' Dyer contends that "Turner illustrates three of the ways that stars function cinematically (that is, within the total signifying practice of the cinema industry situated within society as a whole)".