1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910793138903321

Autore

Williams Melanie <1974->

Titolo

Female stars of British cinema : the women in question / / Melanie Williams

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Edinburgh : , : Edinburgh University Press, , [2017]

©2017

ISBN

1-4744-0565-7

1-4744-3484-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource : illustrations (black and white)

Classificazione

AP 83930

Disciplina

791.4365220941

Soggetti

Women in motion pictures

Motion pictures for women

Actresses

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Previously issued in print: 2017.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-234) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction: questions of female stardom in British cinema -- 'A girl appears in camiknickers': Jean Kent's austerity stardom -- 'Blonde glamour machine': Diana Dors in the 1950s and beyond -- British new waif: Rita Tushingham and sixties female stardom -- 'A constant threat': Glenda Jackson and the challenges of seventies stardom -- 'From schoolgirl to stardom': the discovery and development of Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Lloyd in the 1980s and 1990s -- National treasure: Judi Dench and older female stardom in the 2000s -- Conclusion: the unbearable whiteness of being (a female British star).

Sommario/riassunto

Although stardom and celebrity have sometimes been seen as antithetical to traditional British notions of restraint and modesty, female stars have nenetheless always been an important attraction for audiences of British cinema, offering specifically British takes on ideas of glamour, acting prowess and femininity. This book will explore in detail the history of British female stardom from the 1940's to the present day through an examination of careers and star personae, from Anna Neagle, who enjoyed record-breaking popularity in the immediate post-war years, to key contemporary figures such as Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren. This is a major new study of stardom in British



cinema and the first to focus on female stars.