The life and death of star bodies: Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere
Titel:
The life and death of star bodies: Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere
Auteur:
Austin, Guy
Verschenen in:
Modern & contemporary France
Paginering:
Jaargang 11 (2003) nr. 2 pagina's 175-187
Jaar:
2003-05
Inhoud:
It is through their bodies that film stars incarnate values and identities. This article considers the star bodies of Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere in order to explore what they say about the period of their shared stardom in the 1970s and early 1980s. It evaluates in particular the origins of their acting style, the distinction between their early images, and the negotiation of their star images over time, which has seen Depardieu shift from a threatening working-class body to a reassuring, universalised presence, while Dewaere's glamorous and sporty image collapsed as his star body degenerated. Finally, conclusions will be drawn regarding the cultural and social meanings embodied by each star: Depardieu reconciling opposites in his living body, Dewaere representing a process of idealism, failure, etiolation and death.
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