Description
Book Synopsis'Being Rita Hayworth' considers the ways in which this actress has been treated by film scholarship over the years to accomplish its own goals, sometimes at her expense.
Trade ReviewMcLean's work is significant because it addresses a major flaw in the majority of star studies--the lack of knowledge regarding how movie stars were created by the Hollywood studio system. She achieves an understanding of movie stars as economic constructs, of the relationship of their real selves to their images, and of how a star's original meaning and reception by fans sometimes differ from what we assume today....Being Rita Hayworth is a model of good scholarship. * Film Quarterly *
[T]he plethora of stimulating ideas in Being Rita Hayworth should jolt star, labor, and film scholarship to reassess contemporary, too easily accepted truths and lead to dynamic debates and exciting exchanges. Fresh perspectives rejuvenate, and that's a gift to scholarship. * Quarterly Review of Film and Video *
This book is praiseworthy in all aspects of the subject....This is an excellent book well worth reading because of the cogent discussion of ubiquitous processes of commodification, advertising, and their influence on modes of subjectivity. * Visual Anthropology *
Exploring the creation of this popular movie star's persona,
Being Rita Hayworth takes an especial interest in her appeal to other women of the day who were struggling to navigate the demands of family and work outside the home. An excellent read for anyone with an especial interest in not only Hayworth's career, but the ripple effect her star persona had on the hearts and minds of a female generation. * The Midwest Book Review *
This book reexamines Rita Hayworth's star image and her proficiency as a dancer in order to challenge received wisdom about the objectification of female stars in classical Hollywood cinema. This is a superior piece of scholarship and an outstanding contribution to star studies. -- Ina Rae Hark * University of South Carolina *
McLean's argument is complex, coherent, and eminently readable. Through meticulous research, she productively opens up the notion of star as worker. -- Mary R. Desjardins * Dartmouth College *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: Why Rita Hayworth?
Part One. Stardom Off the Screen
Part Two. Film Stars, Film Texts, Film Studies
Afterword: Replacing the Love Goddess
Notes
Cansino/Hayworth Filmography
Bibliography
Index
