In the late 1910s, as the film industry’s centre of gravity shifted to the United States, a distinctly American variant of stardom took shape. Towards the end of the decade, studios such as Paramount increasingly focused on creating desirable male stars in order to capitalise on the profitable “matinée” market – a term that, despite its literal meaning, referred to daytime screenings, especially afternoons, attended mainly by women. These actors were, of course, studio creations; yet the real driving force behind the rise of the so-called “Matinée Idols” was the female audience. Women’s preferences, responses, and enthusiasm played a crucial role in shaping stardom, propelling careers, and sometimes precipitating their decline, actively defining what male screen allure could and should be. From the seductive Rudolph Valentino to the well-groomed Wallace Reid, from the boyish Richard Barthelmess to the trustworthy Thomas Meighan, the programme explores four variations of the Matinée Idols craze through a female-centred historical and critical lens and combines canonical works with important but lesser-known films, including the world premiere of the restoration of Sick Abed (Sam Wood, 1920).

Curated by Tamara Shvediuk

Male and Female (1919) d. Cecil B. DeMille • Sick Abed (1920) d. Sam Wood • Tol’able David (La pazienza di David, 1921) d. Henry King • Moran of the Lady Letty (Il mozzo dell’Albatros, 1922) d. George Melford