Talk:Movie star

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Marilyn Monroe???[edit]

I think this could use some updating - there is some good material from the heyday of the star system, but the chronology is confusing - between Mary Pickford and Marilyn Monroe some stuff happened, and between Marilyn Monroe and now, a lot more happened to the "movie star." Me not an expert, though. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Garylhewitt (talk • contribs) 3:32, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

This is somewhat POV[edit]

Some of the downsides to being a movie star include self-centeredness and arrogance. Oftentimes, some stars are very bossy and vain.

While I think this is quite true, I also think, by article-writing standards, it's also somewhat non-neutral and POV. Any suggestions to improve this section? --I am not good at running 23:16, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Singing in the Rain[edit]

I remember the scene in Singing in the Rain where Lina quotes the article, saying that she is "A glimmering star in the cinema firmament." Is this concept (obviously around decades before Singing) to be related to the origin of the term? I'd like to see a citation on that Nyttend 19:39, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Shoddy Referencing[edit]

There are references to sources in the text -- such as "Madow" -- without full publication details in a Reference List, proper use of Harvard Style would correct this problem. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gcoultersmith (talk • contribs) 10:37, 19 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Global perspective[edit]

There are several instances in this article which could be more globally written, most significantly during the section describing India and China which is written as through the article is from a western perspective.Lord Cornwallis (talk) 00:01, 17 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Eras[edit]

This article makes it appear that there are no longer any movie stars in existence, speaking of them all dying off. There are movie stars in the modern era also. I may add some later. Cls14 (talk) 12:38, 7 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The "Last of the greats" section[edit]

What's the purpose of it? It just namedrops different classic stars that have either died in the past 14 years or those who are still alive. How is it even relevant to the article in question? To say that classical stars were the "last greats" of cinema seems to me like a subjective point of view. Comments? OscarLake (talk) 23:51, 22 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Unless there's a source backing that list, it seems like a bit of arbitrary POV, though there are a lot of medias which use concepts like "the last Hollywood greats". For example, when Jennifer Jones or Mickey Rooney died, I'm pretty sure I read stuff like "one of the last great Golden Age stars has passed away...". However, although the "Golden Age" of Hollywood (or Classical Hollywood cinema, if you like) is a widely used concept, it's a bit surprising to read that kind of list, which seems to imply that contemporary stars like Brad Pitt, or even post-Golden Age ones like Robert Redford, are not movie stars. So I agree, the "namedropping" aspect is rather useless. Jean-Jacques Georges (talk) 09:50, 18 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Images[edit]

This article needs to be developed, but I thought that, even in its current state, it could use a few images. So I added a Mary Pickford poster - in order to have a historical example, using one of the very first "movie stars" - and a recent picture which has the advantage of depicting two contemporary movie stars, one from Europe and one from Asia. Not necessarily because they are the biggest stars ever, but because they are 1) from two different continents 2) not from the United States 3) quite big in their respective countries (Sophie Marceau is also reportedly big in China, but that's another matter). I thought it was useful to remind that "movie stardom" is a global concept. It might help develop the "worldwide view of the subject" demanded by the current template. Jean-Jacques Georges (talk) 09:50, 18 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Where does the expression 'star' actually come from? What is its historic origin?[edit]

I was intrigued by the usage of the word 'star' in connection with the lead roles — historically, where does the name come from? Why did people come up with the word 'star' to describe them?

The Internet is full of interesting answers on this. None seem to quote reliable sources:


When they act, they brighten up a scene. — https://www.quora.com/Why-are-famous-actors-called-stars


The chemicals used to expose light on film include silver nitrate. Silver nitrate was also once called lunar caustic (Moon -> stars?) — http://www.lbc.co.uk/why-are-film-stars-called-stars-of-the-silver-screen-40937


The surface of the projection screen used to be covered with a silvery substance to enhance reflectivity — the expression silver screen is still in common usage, even though projection screens are (rarely) silvery these days. http://www.lbc.co.uk/why-are-film-stars-called-stars-of-the-silver-screen-40937


The reason movie stars are called stars is because even after they die they can still be seen — https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/comments/3uydpo/the_reason_movie_stars_are_called_stars_is/

So where does the expression actually come from?

Gwyneth Llewelyn (talk) 11:03, 17 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The earliest appearance of "movie star" in print is dated 1919, according to the OED; but the use of the word to allude to major actors in the theater goes back to the 18th century, and to signify a soul gone to heaven (with the greater souls having brighter stars), in Shakespeare and Chaucer. There's also the use of the asterisk in print to signify people and places of importance. Dhtwiki (talk) 19:44, 17 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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