Abstracts
Abstract
Documentary film craft in the mid-twentieth century, like many other arts at the time, evolved aesthetically around the notions of “truthfulness” and “honesty” in the depiction of their subjects. Simultaneous with these artistic innovations was the ascendency of a commercial popular culture industry that often appropriated aesthetic ideals of authenticity to construct celebrity narratives. This article examines the constructed celebrity persona of Bob Dylan in D.A. Pennebaker’s American cinéma vérité production Dont Look Back. Utilizing a critical theory approach based on the philosophy and political economy of celebrity aura, it addresses questions of directorial subjectivity, celebrity self-consciousness and the contemporaneous subject/audience interface within a larger discussion of the intentionality of celebrity construction as part and parcel of films and other media dedicated to documenting the rise of pop superstars. While Dont Look Back attempts to reify Dylan as a rebellious voice speaking the social concerns of his audience, the film also testifies to the commodification of such stars by a 1960s corporate media machinery whose ultimate intentions were not necessarily so public-spirited.
Résumé
Le cinéma documentaire, comme bien d’autres pratiques artistiques du milieu du xxe siècle, a articulé le développement de son esthétique autour des notions de « véracité » et de « sincérité » dans la représentation de ses sujets. À la même époque s’est également développée une industrie commerciale de la culture populaire qui s’est souvent approprié cet idéal esthétique d’authenticité pour raconter la vie de personnes célèbres. Cet article examine la fabrication de l’image de Bob Dylan dans un film représentatif du cinéma-vérité américain, Dont Look Back (Don Alan Pennebaker, 1967). Il utilise une théorie critique fondée sur la philosophie et l’économie politique pour analyser l’intentionnalité de la construction de la célébrité dans les documentaires consacrés à la vie des vedettes de la musique pop. Si Dont Look Back tente de présenter Dylan comme une voix rebelle exprimant les préoccupations sociales de son public, il n’en témoigne pas moins de la marchandisation de ces vedettes par une machine médiatique commerciale dont les intentions ultimes ont sans doute peu à voir, quant à elles, avec une quelconque mission sociale.
Appendices
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