Cinema Magic: Mask and Myth

2020 is the year of the 125th anniversary of cinema, which came into being thanks to the Lumiere brothers as a technical attraction. The article analyzes the process of the formation of cinema as a form of art and as a kind of medium, the magic of which lies in the psychological impact on the viewer, the ability to involve him in the audiovisual space. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, cinema acquires the status of the most popular art and retains this position in the digital era. The basis of its spectacularity is a synthesis of technology and creativity, masks of the “star” and myth.

Considering the peculiarities of cinematic magic from a historical perspective, the author proves that Georges Méliès was the first to master the magic of the screen, steering cinema along the path of spectacle. The first masks of the “stars” as screen brands (Andre Deed, Max Linder, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton) contributed a lot to this process. Much credit for the development of cinema as an art form belongs to Charles Chaplin and his famous “Chapliniada”, which is based on the social mask of the “little man”, which Chaplin turned into a universal human image. The “star system” which nourished the Hollywood empire influenced the film aesthetics and the development of cinematic genres. An important role in this process was played by the “myth stars”, among whom Asta Nielsen, Rudolfo Valentino, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich stand out in the history of cinema.

By addressing the problem “a star in Soviet style: a mask or a social type?” The author examines the ways of development of Russian cinema in its polemics with commercial Western cinema, proving that the synthesis of creativity and ideology made it possible for our filmmakers to create outstanding works of screen art in different periods.