Classical hollywood and the star system

       One specific aspect of the studio system i deemed the most important was the star system and the effect it had in the production of movies. At the beginnning of the film industry surprisingly film was seen as  astep over the circus and it was merely for the "working class." Most actors were embarassed to be mentioned or seen on film so they would mask their identity in order to "keep their dignity." However, after a while audiences began to demand the names of their beloved actors and they wanted to know who was behind the film they watched. They began to nickname the actors since they all remained nameless. Then the Star System emerged and it changed everything. Studios began to give names to faces and it quickly affected the film industry.
      The Star system was comprised of up and coming actors who studios created personas for and gave them an identity that would be with them for the rest of their acting careers. This affected the way people saw movies because not only were they watching a scene in a film but they were relating and creating a bond with a character like Lucille Ball or Cary Grant. This also made film stars gain extreme power from their audiences demanding to see them in the next movie. This is the power studios were trying to avoid in the beginning. Stars such as Marilyn Monroe walked out on their contracts until studios met with their demands and as their popularity escalated so did the profits for the movies they were included in.

      One example of the star system was dated back to 1915, a woman names Theda Bara was the very first "vamp woman." She was repeatedly cast as vmapire and as other "femme fatale" roles and in everyones minds she was known as the "vamp woman." The repetition of similar roles creates a persona for the character that continues on through their career. Another perfect example is Marilyn getting cast for "ditsy blonde" or continuous "sexual" roles creating that character for her.
Marilyn monroe-Lets make love