Katrina Bertumen (286-288)

-Considerations which acting styles are classified:

• Period

• Genre
  

• Tone

• National Origins

• Directorial Emphasis
  

• Expressionistic
  

-Generalizations of each category sets loose expectations. For example, realistic, formalistic, dialectic have been used as classifications through out this book that can be applied for acting. Though there are many variations and subdivisions.

-Classifying acing styles due to national origins is likely to be misleading. At least for countries that evolved a wide spectrum of styles like Japan, US, and Italy. For example, Italians are said to be theatrical by national temprament acting out their feelings with animation unlike the reserved deportment of the Swedes and other Northern Europeans.

-The art of silent acting covers a period for some 15 years when most historians regard Griffith's movie The Birth of a Nation as the first masterpiece of the silent cinema.


-Change over to sound was virtually universal by 1930. At this time, a wide variety of playing styles evolved, ranking from the detailed, underplayed realism of Gibson Goland's movie Greed.


-Popular misconception about the silent cinema is that all movies were all photographed and projected at "silent speed".
-Factually, silent speed was highly variable because it's easy to manipulate because camera's were hand cranked.

-The reason for actors in sound dramas to appear jerky and ludicrous was due to the speeds of the projectors of original rhythms of the performances are violated.

-The most popular and critically admired player of the silent cinema was Chaplin because he had a wide variety of comic skills.

Carlos' 289-291

Chaplin was an acclaimed actor of his era, recognized as one of the best by many important figures.


Star acting is a romantic style of acting that Greta Garbo perfected in the silent era (1930s), she used her attractive physical features and acting techniques to her favor. She was most recognized by love scenes in which she used her romantic techniques. She used her acting skills rather than words to express her message.

In the acting industry, playing in Shakespeare's work is one of the most difficult tasks because of the complex language that makes it possible for some of the most literate people to miss about one fourth of the dialogue. Words should be pronounced crisply so that people could make out difficult words.

The most important British film actors are also the most prominent in the live theater.As players improve, they rise through the ranks attempting more complex roles.Playing Shakespeare is considered the artistic summit.

" why, what an ass am I! this is most brave

that I, the son of a dear murthered,

prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,

must like a whore unpack my heart with words,

and fall a-cursing like a very drab

a scullion! Fie upon it, foh!

Actors are trained in diction, movement,make up, dialect, fencing, dancing, body control, and acting.

Films referenced:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Britain, 1975)
Tone is determined primarily by genre, dialogue. and the diretor's attitude toward the dramatic materials.



Hamlet (Britain, 1996)
British actors have perfected the art of reciting highly stylized dialogue- the language of Shakespeare, Wilde, and Shaw-without violating the believability of their characters.

Scott's Section (pgs 292-294)

Laurence Olivier, the exceptional British actor, believed that "To be fit should be one of the actor's first priorities...the body is an instrument which must be finely tuned and played as often as possible. The actor should be able to control it from the tip of his head to his little toe." Even as an old man, Olivier continued to run and lift weights and when illness prevented him from these forms of exercise, he took up swimming. Secrets & Lies (Britain, 1996) Mike Leigh, the director, usually worked with many of the same actors from film to film because they would improvise much of their dialogue and shape the script. The result is they seem to be real people dealing with real life. The main character in this film always finds the best time to embarrass her family, and it is reflective of the precise diction of traditional British acting techniques.

The Methodwas a new interior style of acting that was brought about because of the era's emphasis on realistic styles of acting. Eliza Kazan was often associated with this technique. Kazan's On the Waterfront was a showcase for this style of performing, and has since become the dominant style of acting in the American cinema.
The Method was an offshoot of a system of training actors and rehearsing that had been developed by Constantin Stanislavsky.His ideas were adopted by the Actor's Studio in New York which produced actors such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Julie Harris, Paul Newman, and more.
Stanislavksy's system was "You must live the part every moment you are playing it." An important technique he developed is emotional recall where an actor delves into his or her own past to discover feelings that are analogous to those of the character.
Stanislavasky was known for his lengthy rehearsal periods where players would discover the subtext. "The subtext is one of the film director's most valuable tools. It is what he directs " Spoken language is secondary to Method players.Stanislvasky encouraged players to analyze all the specifics of a scene.

The Nun's Story (U.S.A., 1959) The subtext reveals a dedicated surgeon's love for a nursing nun who has chosen a life of serving God. The text does not convey their complicated feelings; this is found in the subtext, in the realm of the unspeakable.

Ghassan's Section (pg 295-297)

Main Points

• If actors were playing a role "foreign to them", they were encouraged to do some reaserch so they gian gian full and complete knowledge about that role and the backround, enablign them to play the role more effectively.
• These are called "method actors".
• These "method actors" would be well known for their "ability to bring out emotions in the characters they are playing" (Giannetti)

A Guide to Method Acting