Bette Davis: actor/star

Extract

Performances by Hollywood stars in particular are prized not for the craftsmanship but for the glimpses they offer of the idealized person behind the performance. Film stars function as social hieroglyphs, objects of desire, and sites of identity construction. Film narratives activate complex subjective processes in so far as they effectively circulate a culture's understanding of the human figure, countenance and psyche.¹

This astute observation has much to tell us about the nature of Hollywood stardom in the studio era and, in relation to such stars as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland, it is both insightful and persuasive. However, at first sight it seems problematic when applied to one of the USA's greatest film stars, Bette Davis. For in Davis's case, acting featured as a major part of her public image, with discussion of her craft figuring as a key component of her star discourse. This essay, then, explores the apparent paradox of an acting style dedicated to the visible production of different characters from film to film that yet gave rise to a level of coherence capable of sustaining a star image. We shall be using the terms ‘personality,’ ‘persona’ and ‘image’ to describe Davis's star identity, and as they are complex, interrelated and, to some extent, interchangeable, it is worth defining what we mean by them. We take ‘personality’ to be a collection of surface traits by which a person becomes known (that is, the psychological, cognitive, emotional and physical characteristics of an individual). ‘Persona’ we understand to be a more crafted and consolidated public projection of the person, in which film roles and media appearances play a part in creating the mask that ensures consistency, which can be used as an element of performance. Closely related is the concept of ‘image’, which we consider to be detachable from the star as a person. This contains some star attributes and aspects of roles but also what is circulated in publicity, what is said and valued or criticized in reviews. This is the conceptualization of critics, fans and the public, projecting onto the star specific ideals, aspirations, desires, and so on.