2020 is the year of the 125th anniversary of cinema, whichcame into being thanks to the Lumiere brothers as a technical attraction. Thearticle analyzes the process of the formation of cinema as a form of art andas a kind of medium, the magic of which lies in the psychological impact onthe viewer, the ability to involve him in the audiovisual space. Already at thebeginning of the 20th century, cinema acquires the status of the most popularart and retains this position in the digital era. The basis of its spectacularity isa synthesis of technology and creativity, masks of the “star” and myth.Considering the peculiarities of cinematic magic from a historicalperspective, the author proves that Georges Méliès was the first to masterthe magic of the screen, steering cinema along the path of spectacle. Thefirst masks of the “stars” as screen brands (Andre Deed, Max Linder, DouglasFairbanks, Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton) contributed alot to this process. Much credit for the development of cinema as an art formbelongs to Charles Chaplin and his famous “Chapliniada”, which is based onthe social mask of the “little man”, which Chaplin turned into a universalhuman image. The “star system” which nourished the Hollywood empireinfluenced the film aesthetics and the development of cinematic genres. Animportant role in this process was played by the “myth stars”, among whomAsta Nielsen, Rudolfo Valentino, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich stand out inthe history of cinema.By addressing the problem “a star in Soviet style: a mask or a social type?”The author examines the ways of development of Russian cinema in its polemicswith commercial Western cinema, proving that the synthesis of creativity andideology made it possible for our filmmakers to create outstanding works ofscreen art in different periods.