Film and Fandom in Cinearte Magazine

Abstract

This chapter examines discourses and elaborations of a Hollywood-inflected stardom that emerged in 1920s Brazil in the country’s first fanzine, Cinearte. It looks at how these discourses zoomed in on questions of gender, discussing Brazilian women’s cinematic reception and also their role as actresses in movies. The chapter explores the ways in which the development of female stars was inextricably and complexly related to a modern urban mass culture that emerged in early twentieth century Brazil, in which women were central. In doing so, it highlights stardom’s dialogue with the figure of the melindrosa, Brazil’s own New Woman, looking at how this figure carefully negotiated concerns regarding the mass form of the movies and its threats to traditional mores and moralities.