Razzle Dazzle, Part 4: “The Parasite”

This chapter is about damaged loners who stand outside the spotlight looking for a way in.

The King of Comedy
Photo: 20th Century Fox

This is the fourth part of a six-part video essay that looks at how movies have examined the many facets of fame. Also in this series: Part 1 (“The Pitch”), Part 2 (“The Hero”), Part 3 (“The Fraud”), Part 5 (“The Maverick”), and Part 6 (“The Takeaway”). This chapter is about damaged loners who stand outside the spotlight looking for a way in—people who fantasize about knowing, becoming, protecting, or destroying their heroes. All About Eve, Star 80, The King of Comedy, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and other films in this vein show anonymous voyeurs, fringe dwellers, wannabes, and hangers-on doing whatever it takes to grab their 15 minutes of fame. See the video essay in its original context at Moving Image Source by clicking here.

This article was originally published on The House Next Door.

Aaron Aradillas

Aaron is a San Antonio-based film critic and journalist, and a writer-producer of video essays.

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