A perennial debate has long persisted in the performing arts over who deserves the spotlight: Creator or performer. In classical music, conductors clash with their soloists; in ballet, choreographers with their prima ballerinas; and in film, directors and movie stars vie for the audience’s affection. When you watch Some Like It Hot, are you enjoying Jack Lemmon’s talents or Billy Wilder’s?
Both, of course. Yet popular memory sometimes immortalizes the face onscreen while obscuring the hand behind it. How many people can name the director of Casablanca? Michael Curtiz has somehow been relegated to a footnote, while Humphrey Bogart remains inseparable from the film.
Recommended Stories
Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.