rage recommends by bill biss STAR POWER
TYRONE POWER: GENDER, GENRE AND IMAGE IN CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD CINEMA (INTERNATIONAL FILM STARS)
Gillian Kelly
“That face, that face, that wonderful face! It shines, it glows all over the place.” Who’d think that such a man could surely possess it? That is just the case with classic film star Tyrone Power. In Gillian Kelly’s amazingly constructed book, she presents a thorough and unique look at Power’s persona during the course of his more than three- decade career as a motion picture star primarily for 20th
Century Fox
studios. Kelly presents a riveting analysis of “male beauty” vs. acting ability, and pays homage to a star who proved that he had both attributes in his career. His career was cut short by his untimely death from a heart attack in 1958. He was 44. And when I say this book is amazingly constructed and the first to truly dive into Tyrone Power’s films … I mean it. Kelly divides each chapter into the genres of films that Power starred in. The diversity of his film roles is much more than meets the eye … dramas, westerns, comedies, musicals, war pictures and historical adventures. Kelly shines a Klieg light on all of these genres and truly offers a beautiful tribute to Ty Power. He was much more than a pretty face and figure but a remarkable craftsman of acting on cinema. It’s revealed brilliantly in Tyrone Power: Gender, Genre and Image in Classical Hollywood Cinema (International Film Stars). Her analysis along with previous writings about motion pictures and Tyrone Power show the pulse of the public and the workings of the studio systems during his lifetime. It must be noted that this is not a biography. There is plenty to fathom of his diversity in acting and no secret facts are divulged. Kelly
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presents the struggle between a man trying to learn and grow from his acting career while managing a personal life and his aspirations. She devotes the final chapter “Power-Off Screen” to a conciseness for his marriages and relationships. There are no leanings to his bisexual- ity, which is now widely accepted. Yet, it just seems natural that male beauties such as Tyrone Power might have been making the rounds. Remember, it was a long time ago and when you are a famous star, you truly have to keep your private life out of the press … regardless of your inclinations. Anyway, it used to be that way. Let’s get back to Kelly’s book as truly that was what she was trying
to convey and that’s the “Power” scope of his film work. In Blood and Sand, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Marie Antoinette and Witness for the Prosecution, among other films, Tyrone Power showed a magnetism that shined on the screen in combination with his devotion to acting that eventually was never hindered by his looks but enhanced by it. His service in World War II broke up his career as he was proud to be part of the United States Marine Corps and would serve as a reserve until his death. When Power returned to 20th
Century Fox, his first two
films were The Razor’s Edge and Nightmare Alley, which truly showed his intuitive quality and his maturity after the war. It’s hard to imagine that he died at 44 in 1958 as Tyrone Power was comfortable doing what he loved and could have continued on as a remarkable actor on both stage and screen. Here’s a salute to Kelly for bringing much needed light to his life as a film star. Available now
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