Dyer's analysis of Paul Robeson as across-over star in Heavenly Bodies was so extremely descriptive that I found myself feeling the same pull to Robeson's star power that the whites and blacks of the 1920s and 1940s felt which made him a huge cross-over success (even though I have only seen his films one or two times). Robesons's persona, as explained by Dyer, is extremely complex as he was able to please both black and white audiences during the pre-civil-rights era. it is clear that Robeson was an immensely talented man for any race (as an academic, football star, and singing and acting star0, but his jump to stardom led him to represent different black identities for different fan bases. To blacks, Robeson embodied the flock culture of their society and stood as an example of success (academically, physically, and artistically) in a white dominated world. To whites, Robeson was revered as a naturally talented performer who was excepted as civilized because of his ability to control his "brute' qualities with beauty and gentleness (as seen in his films). Robeson was able to maintain interracial fan base because his persona was strong enough to signify him as an ideal black male, but his gentle temperment kept him from becoming a threat to white audiences. dyer mentions that once Robeson began to choose rougher roles, his cross-over appeal quickly faded, therefore keeping the white dominance of Hollywood intact.
No star today can perfectly parallel the career of Robeson, but a black star that I feel is equally popular with white and black audiences is Denzel Washington. Washington, like Robeson, often plays roles of powerful characters who are able to keep their brute (used lightly here) characteristics under control. Washington therefore is not a threat to black or white audiences, but instead seen a beautiful presences on the screen. He has extreme sexual presences with all audiences (as did Robeson), but is still and controlled on the screen. But, unlike Robeson, Washington is able to inhabit leading roles with characters that are extremely active within the plot of the story because unlike Robeson, Washington is able to challenge white authority in films (while all the while keeping a civilized persona, unlike how black rappers are portrayed).
Robeson l aid the foundation for black actors, like Washington, to inhabit an identity of intelligence, athletics, artistry, and grace, to be well-respected by their peers, and to overcome to boundaries of race.
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Last week was actually the second time the 1936 "Showboat" was screened in one of my classes this semester (plus another class screened the 1951 version!). The first time I watched watched Robeson in "Showboat" was in my Broadway Musical class. We spoke in depth about his disappointment and even anger at the way his character was portrayed in "Showboat." He felt it perpetuated the stereotype of Black people as lazy and slow and strongly disliked the character as a result. In the class, we also watched a documentary about Robeson - and that is where I was presented with a portrait of the singer/actor that shocked me.
Dyer and Samantha analyzed his complex personality in terms of race and appeal to both black and white audiences. One would think that this is because he had a non-threatening persona; what I find so interesting is that the exact opposite is true. His personal and political life was actually very controversial - he loudly and passionately supported the Soviet Union, he criticized the way black Americans lived in America specifically fighting segregation and lynching, his recordings and films were banned in the US until the late 1970s, and he was even denied a passport and confined to the US in 1950. This aspect of his persona - the part that Hollywood, white America, and even the government could not hold down - is what makes him a true star, in my opinion. Not his appeal to multi-racial audiences, but his ability to remain a loud and clear voice even when HUAC, Hoover, and the FBI tried to shut him up. As an actor whose profession depended upon popularity, he was willing to forego that in order to stand up for what he believed in. Perhaps this is because of his childhood, perhaps his education, perhaps his experience in football, perhaps his initial training to be a lawyer. Whatever it is, Robeson's strong personality and unwavering opinions is what makes him a true star.
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