IRRESISTIBLY FRENCH

215 Pages·2008·1.64 MB·English

IRRESISTIBLY FRENCH: FEMALE STARDOM AND FRENCHNESS

DISSERTATION

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the

Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By

Nicoleta Bazgan, M.A.

*****

The Ohio State University
2008

Dissertation Committee:
Approved by
Professor JUDITH MAYNE, Advisor

Professor EUGENE HOLLAND
_________________________________
Professor KARLIS RACEVSKIS Advisor
Graduate Program in French and Italian
Copyright by

Nicoleta Bazgan

2008
ABSTRACT

French actresses have exerted an endless fascination on film audiences
worldwide. Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, and, more recently,
Amelie’s star Audrey Tautou epitomize the lasting appeal of the glamorous French star
system, inviting a critical exploration of their prominent star images and of the bridges of
desire that connect them to national and global audiences.
French female stars cross the boundaries of popular and auteur cinema, and their
mythical star text is refracted across both material and discursive practices, pointing to
their status as French cinema icons, national treasures, and objects of consumption. On
the one hand, French female stardom is represented as an elusive essence, a self-made
myth inspired by a reputable tradition of cinematic and artistic excellence, its allure
residing in the infamous je ne sais quoi that refuses easy consumption. On the other hand,
stars as icons of femininity are the objects of an intense scrutiny that invites consumption
through various practices, as the glamorous French actresses are exclusively faithful to
the national industries of tourism, perfume, cosmetics, and fashion.
My research also reveals that the various cultural products related to French
female stars initiate a dynamic and visionary mode of transnational cultural exchanges.
Contrary to a French cultural tradition turned inward to protect its national authenticity,
the cultural products related to French female stars are open to export their Frenchness in
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a global market. Consequently, despite the construction of French cinema split between a
commercial and an art sector with less popular appeal, female stars contribute to its
perpetuation as art, industry, and commerce, providing a vital link in the negotiations
between feminine identities, cinema, nation, and (inter)national consumption.
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To my mother, Eli

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research project was enabled by the professional advice, intellectual
guidance, and moral support of several scholars, colleagues, and friends.
First, I am deeply indebted to my dissertation advisor, Professor Judith Mayne. In
every possible way, Professor Mayne was the perfect advisor for this dissertation and an
inspiring model for both scholarship and teaching. Her breath and depth of knowledge,
passion for teaching cinema, intellectual generosity, and critical enthusiasm shaped and
inspired my entire education and research. Through several film courses, numerous
discussions concerning many facets of this project, and generous comments, Professor
Mayne encouraged me to develop my passion for French cinema and to grow
intellectually during my graduate years.
I am grateful to the other members of my committee, Professor Karlis Racevskis
and Professor Eugene Holland for their generous comments and incisive observations at
various stages in the development of this dissertation. I am thankful to Professor Danielle
Marx-Scouras for her unwavering support of this project from its incipient stages and for
her inspiring passion for popular culture. During the later stages of the dissertation,
Professor Wynne Wong and Professor Dana Renga have provided me with constant and
very generous academic guidance and moral support.
This project would have not been possible without two grants for conducting
research abroad: the Coca-Cola Critical Difference for Women Research Grant on
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Gender & Gender Studies and The Ohio State Alumni Grant for Graduate Research and
Scholarship. The materials consulted in the Bibliothèque du Film and Inathèque were
significant resources for my research.
I would like to extend my thanks to numerous friends for their advice and support:
Wendy and Florin, who put their time and energy in reading parts of my dissertation, as
well as Adela, Andrei, Ioana, Iulian, Mirela, and Simona, who constantly supported me
through numerous conversations and kind gestures. I am particularly grateful to Laura
Hetel. I was fortunate enough to have in her an intellectual companion and a dear friend
who made my graduate journey infinitely richer. Laura and I were undergraduate and
graduate students, teaching assistants and resident directors for study abroad programs,
good friends and enthusiastic travelers. In addition, she was a careful reader of this
dissertation, offering me insightful comments and much-needed reassurance at critical
moments during the writing process. A very special and heartfelt thank you goes to
Konstantin for ink tanks, positive spirit, and invaluable friendship. The last, and surely
the most, I want to thank my family for their support.

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VITA

2001 – 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combined undergraduate / graduate program
The Ohio State University

B.A., Summa cum laude
Majors: Political Science
World Business & Economy

M.A., French

2001 – 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teaching Assistant
The Ohio State University

FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: French Studies
French Film Studies, Twentieth Century French Literature and Culture
Popular Culture and Advertising
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

P a g e

Abstract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Dedication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Vita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1. The Star as Icon of Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1.1. French Female Stars and the Divide Between Art and Popular Cinema. . . . . . . . 19

1.2. Paradoxical Female Stars: The French Star and Anti-Star System. . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1.3. The French Female Star, the Pygmalion Myth and Artistic Collaboration . . . . . 33
1.4. French Privacy Laws and Artistic Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

1.5 A Cinematic History of Pygmalion Myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2. Icons of the Nation: Female Stars and Frenchness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

2.1. The Feminine Star, Cinema and the Nation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.2. Resistance and Decolonization: Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve . . . . . . 75

3. Paris is a Movie Star: Parisian Women and Iconic Urban Femininity . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

3.1. The Myth of Parisian Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
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3.2. Parisian Women: Representations and Difference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

3.3. On-Screen Representations: Icons, Flâneuses and Voyageuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

3.4. Gamines and Maps of Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

3.5. Parisian Female Stars in Extra-Cinematographic Discourses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

4. Icons of Feminine Consumption: On How to Become a French Female Star. . . . . . 134

4.1. On How To Become a French Woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

4.2. Fashionable Mariannes: Stars and Cultural Product Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

5. Audrey Hepburn: A Gamine With a French Twist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

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