VLVL2 (2): Film/Clara Bow

[Toby G Levy]

pynchonoid wrote:
"I wonder, how the "It" girl might compare with the Vamp
character of early silent film -- I'm thinking of the
way Bram Dijkstra presents the Vamp in his book _Evil Sisters_."

The vamp was personified by Theda Bara, stage name for Theodosia Goodman.
 Theda Bara interestingly was an anagram of Arab Death.  Her "vamp"
character was created by the Hollywood studios.  It looks ridiculous now,
but in the old movies she used to stare angrily at men and they would
suddenly become hypnotized and robotically follow her commands.  This
fell out of style by around 1920 when the charismatic "It" girl became
popular on the screen.  The difference is that the "vamp" preys on men,
while the charismatic girl finds men attracted to her without her
exerting any effort to influence them.  

Toby

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