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Ξ November 7th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |
Norma Shearer: The Primrose Path to MGM Stock
by dan callahan
“she hovered somewhere between the realest of realitiesand the most blatant of impersonations.” ? f. scott fitzgerald, “crazy sunday,” 1932during her marriage to mgm head of work irving thalberg in the early 1930s, norma shearer was known as the movie queen of the mgm lot, but she fell into some obscurity after retiring in 1942; every awake of her looks, she rarely appeared in exposed after she reached the age of 40. in recent years, shearer has behove the object of a small but darned ardent cult following which views her as a sort of elegant underdog, and she remains a lightning rod of critical controversy. shearer is and was violently loathed by many covering writers. pauline kael declared her acting “dreadful.” david thomson called her “fluttery, chilly and more nearly hollow than any other goddess.” even her co-stars were a little bewildered by her eminence; before they filmed marie antoinette (1938), robert morley cluelessly asked her, “how did you become a movie star?” shearer wasn’t insulted, but tickled. “because i wanted to!” she exclaimed.that response to morley’s question displays the delight of her self-determination, and it explains both her stardom and her problematic place in the movie illustrious firmament. in the early nineties, gavin lambert’s well-spoken biography of shearer began a more doctrinaire reassessment of her position, as did the excavation of her sexy pre-code dramas, like the divorcee (1930), which won her an oscar, and a free soul (1931). even, there are many minded to snicker at shearer. james wolcott recently cracked that she “often did advocate a noble brand of coconut milk,” and the critic michael atkinson damningly grouped shearer with paul muni as an example of the most outdated thirties acting. i cringed when i read atkinson’s pretty accurate dismissal, in spite of i’ve been secretly fond of shearer for years. peradventure the writer david noh put it maximum effort when he called her his “guilty joy goddess.” to start to put such persistent ridicule into perspective, i deliberating it was antiquated to go spotlight by point through shearer’s available filmography and suss out out just what all the fuss is about._____________________________________________________to read the rest of the article at bright lights murkiness journal, click here.
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