Introduction: Questions of Female Stardom in British Cinema

Abstract

This chapter provides an introductory overview to the book’s focus on female British stars, explains the parameters of the study and its principle methods, and provides some broader historical contextualisation of ideas of stardom in British cinema culture from the silent period to the present day.

Why becoming a national treasure matters: Elite celebrity status and inequality in the United Kingdom

“…For the remainder of this article our focus will be on Dame Judi Dench who, according to the British Film Institute, most gracefully embodies the term ‘national treasure’. The existing studies of Dench do not consider her metamorphosis into a national treasure and how she has reacted to this status designation (Funnell, 2015; McDonald, 2005; Wells, 2011; Williams, 2017). To analyse Dame Judi Dench’s status transformation, we have drawn upon numerous reviews, interviews, profiles and documentaries, as well as her filmography, autobiographies and biographies (Dench and Miller, 2011, 2014; Jacobs, 1986; Miller, 2002).…”

“…Proliferating rave reviews, profiles and interviews were accompanied by the publication of the first full biography of ‘the first lady of British film and theatre’ (see Miller, 1998). The focus now, however, was on how this ‘Grand Dame’ was redefining the idea of what it meant to be an older, very stylish A-list Hollywood star (Williams, 2017). It is in this period that she also opened up to the media about her personal life with husband, fellow actor, Michael Williams and their daughter, Finty, also an actor.…”