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Abstract(s)
In the Hollywood metafilm, from the Studio System period to the present day, only a few film directors have been tackled on screen. Also, whereas the biopic of Hollywood stars is usually simply a “rags to riches” tale and/or vice-versa, the film director biopic is foremost the evidence of an authorial discourse, although presented with some sentiment. In other words, what moves some filmmakers (especially directors) to approach the life and art of their famous peers is a wish to reflect on the nature of their common medium and on the quality of their own output. This article focuses on two films: “Chaplin” (1992, directed by Richard Attenborough) and “Ed Wood” (1994, directed by Tim Burton). From very early in his cinematic career, Charlie Chaplin was as famous as he was infamous, whereas Ed Wood was never famous and barely infamous. Still, the best and the worst film directors are portrayed in a style not entirely dissimilar to one another in their respective biopics, and in compliance with the rules advocated by Aristotle for tragedy in the “Poetics.” These two films manage to portray, from beginning to end, the essence of the charismatic celebrities they depict. With that aim, they de-mythicize both the men and the medium they worked for, but only in order to re-mythicize the directors and cinema in a new splendour.
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Hollywood biopics Film directors Film Chaplin Film Ed Wood Greek tragedy