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Stars
RICHARD DYER, 1998
London, British Film Institute, 11.99 (pbk), 217 pp. ISBN 0-85170-643-6
`Reading "Stars" took me back to the 1950s-a small town in the West of Scotland. A slow moving queue of people going into the local "Broadway" cinema to watch the "stars" in their latest film. Coming out after two or three hours of wonderland into the dark and cold with one's head full of other peoples' lives and the glitter of a lifestyle or adventure that we could never imagine would in any way relate to our own lives. In my case usually accompanied by a little sister who always wanted to know "What happened next?" and was most distressed when I could not tell her.
This book was first written in 1979 and has been re-issued several times, the latest re-issue having an added chapter by Paul McDonald. 1979 was probably nearer to the 1959 that I remember than 1979 is to today with regards to the change in cinema. This in its way perhaps explains the fascination of this book, but in my mind the impact of the message is dulled...