Theda Bara, a vampira do cinema mudo: uma análise do filme "Escravo de uma paixão" (1915)

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze how the film A Fool There Was (1915) and the actress Theda Bara, considered the first femme fatale of cinema, fit into a system that manufactures and shapes artists for the enrichment of the industry, known as the star system. The sections are divided with the aim of analyzing the film; the construction of the vampire character; and the representations that preceded her, as well as using frames from the film itself for better evaluation. In the second part, a critique is made of the film's promotion, in which actors/actresses are seen as commodities within the star system. Authors who engage with film analysis are used, such as Manuela Penafria (2009); and the book by Francis Vanoye and Anne Goliot-Lété (1994). Furthermore, to understand the star system and its mechanisms of control we use Edgar Morin (1989); and to understand how the entertainment industry manipulates its consumers, we will engage with Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (1947). With this, it is expected to contribute to the understanding of the media dynamics of the time and enrich the field of study on cinema, stereotypes, and sexualization.