starred/starring [film]

[Shooting Stars]

The Money Pit is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin and starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house.(The Money Pit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The definition of star given by dictionaries is as follows.
1. (Of a film, play, or other show) have (someone) as a principal performer. e.g. a film starring Liza Minnelli
2. (Of a performer) have a principal role in a film, play, or other show. e.g. McQueen had starred in such epics as The Magnificent Seven

In the sentence discussed, why is starred used rather than starring?

Thank you.

 

[Glenfarclas]

In the sentence discussed, why is starred used rather than starring?

Because the film is in the past.

The present tense could also have been used, but this is a question of style and the author's choice.

 

[Shooting Stars]

Because the film is in the past.

The present tense could also have been used, but this is a question of style and the author's choice.

I don't understand what you have said.
let me clarify what I mean.
...and starred ..., I think "and" is used to connect two phrases starting respectively with directed and starred. "A movie directed by Richard Benjamin" is a correct phrase. But "a movie starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long" is a wrong phrase(actually, it is a sentence.). it should be "a movie starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long". So, I was wondering why starred can also be used.

Could you give me a further explanation? Thank you.

 

[Shooting Stars]

Having reading it again and again, I understand "and" is used to connect 2 verbs, is and starred. That is why starred is correct too.

 

[GreenWhiteBlue]

Glenfarclas may have misread your question,. The use of "starred" in this sentence is incorrect; only "starting" is correct. The only way that you can use "starred" here is by changing "and" to "that" or "which":
The Money Pit is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin and which starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long...

 

[Glenfarclas]

Having reading it again and again, I understand "and" is used to connect 2 verbs, is and starred. That is why starred is correct too.

Right.

It's not very good prose, as it's unusual to put those two phrases ("is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin" and "starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long") in a parallel construction. It would have been better style to have written "The Money Pit is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long."

Glenfarclas may have misread your question,. The use of "starred" in this sentence is incorrect; only "starting" is correct.

I disagree. Although, as I say, I find the original sentence to be poor style, I do not think it is incorrect.

 

[GreenWhiteBlue]

I disagree. Although, as I say, I find the original sentence to be poor style, I do not think it is incorrect.

Really? How do you then divide the sentence? If we make "starred" a past tense, then the sentences being combined are

1) The Money Pit is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin.
2) The Money Pit starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house.

I find it really strange to hammer those two sentences together simply with an "and".

Try this - here are two sentences with a similar structure:
The Greatest Generation is a book written by Tom Brokaw.
The Greatest Generation recounted the stories of men and women who participated in the Second World War.

Would you really have no problem with
The Greatest Generation is a book written by Tom Brokaw and recounted the stories of men and women who participated in the Second World War."?

For my part, I would expect
The Greatest Generation is a book written by Tom Brokaw that recounted the stories of men and women who participated in the Second World War
or
The Greatest Generation is a book written by Tom Brokaw which recounted the stories of men and women who participated in the Second World War.
Second World War.

 

[Egmont]

Wikipedia entries can be written and edited by anyone. Some of the people who write and edit them do not always make good style choices. A few aren't native speakers of English, though Wikipedia is written in dozens of languages and most contributors work in their native tongues. Anyone here can improve the style of a Wikipedia entry if he or she wants to take the time to do that. Wikipedia relies on the efforts of people like us to keep the English in its entries at a high level.

 

[Glenfarclas]

I find it really strange to hammer those two sentences together simply with an "and".

As do I; that's why I said that it's "unusual" and "poor style" to join those clauses in that way. But that's not the same thing as being formally incorrect, at least not in my view.