Tyrone Power: Gender, Genre and Image in Classical Hollywood Cinema

Let's begin with this statement by Tyrone Power in 1946 that starts the book: "I believe in one kind of immortality. People live in the people they leave behind.

There are probably people who have passed away who have influenced you. So long as that influence remains, they are alive in you. Just because we happen to 'shuffle off this mortal coil' and leave some worm food behind, we are not dead, so long as someone remains on earth on whose life we have left some mark."

Tyrone Power was introspective after World War II, in which he served. Gillian Kelly brings much-needed light to his career as a major motion picture star.

"That face, that face...that fabulous face. It shines, it glows all over the place. Who'd think that such a man could surely possess it?" That is just the case with classic film star Tyrone Power.

In Gillian Kelly's amazingly constructed book, she presents a thorough and unique look at Power's persona during the course of his over-three decade career as a motion picture star, primarily for 20th Century Fox studios. Gillian Kelly presents a riveting analysis of "male beauty" vs. acting ability, and pays homage to a star who proved he had both attributes - a career that was cut short by his untimely death at 44-years old from a heart attack in 1958.

This book is amazingly constructed, and the first to truly dive into Tyrone Power's films. Kelly divides each chapter into the genres of films that Power starred in. The diversity of his film roles is much more than meets the eye: Dramas, westerns, comedies, musicals, war pictures, and historical adventures.

Gillian Kelly shines a Klieg light on all of these genres, and offers a beautiful tribute to Ty. Power was much more than a pretty face and figure, but a remarkable craftsman of acting on cinema which is revealed brilliantly in "Tyrone Power: Gender, Genre and Image in Classical Hollywood Cinema" (International Film Stars). Her analysis, along with previous writings about motion pictures and Tyrone Power, show the pulse of the public and the workings of the studio systems during his lifetime.

It must be stated that this is not a biography. There is plenty to fathom about his diversity in acting, and no secret facts are divulged. Gillian Kelly presents the struggle between a man trying to learn and grow from his acting career while managing a personal life and his aspirations. She devotes the final chapter "Power-Off Screen" to a concise overview of his marriages and relationships. There are no references to his bisexuality, which is now widely accepted.

Gillian conveys the scope of his film work. In "Blood and Sand," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Marie Antoinette," and "Witness for the Prosecution," among other films, Tyrone Power had a magnetism which shined on the screen in combination with his devotion to acting that was enhanced, rather than hindered, by his looks.

His service in World War II broke up his career; he was proud to be part of The United States Marine Corps, and would serve as a reservist until his death. When Tyrone Power returned to 20th Century Fox, his first film was "The Razor's Edge" and then "Nightmare Alley," two films that truly showed his intuitive quality and his maturity after World War II. It's hard to imagine that he died at 44 in 1958, as Tyrone Power was comfortable doing what he loved and could have continued on as a remarkable actor on both stage and screen. Gillian Kelly, here's a salute to you for bringing much-needed light to his life as a film star.

"Tyrone Power: Gender, Genre and Image in Classical Hollywood Cinema (International Film Stars), by Gillian Kelly, is available from Edinburgh University Press for $105.00.