The illustrations for this piece are all of playwrights, but what I really want to talk about here is actors and acting. I want to ask, what is the purpose of acting? How does an actor know when he's doing it right? I've been spot reading in acting books lately and the consensus of opinion in these books seems to be that dramatic acting is all about creating believable and appealing characters...but is it? I'm no expert on the subject, but somehow that seems inadequate.
Believable and appealing are important building blocks, but surely that's all they are...building blocks. We need to ask, what's an actor supposed to build with them?
In my humble opinion, what the actor needs to build is... a work of art. It's not enough to hold a mirror up to reality. The actor's job is to create something entertaining and profound that's better than reality. When he does his job right he stylizes his voice and movement to create a thing of awe-inspiring beauty and force. Through sound and motion, through his personal philosophy and a sense of vocal and visual music...he creates a force of nature. He blows the mind of his audience.
To make my second point I'll have to lapse into mysticism. I'm sticking my neck out here, and I may regard this as utter nonsense when I wake up tomorrow, but it seems to me that some of the best live action dramatic actors deliberately take a story and use it as a springboard to explore the mysterious universe that underpins our own. Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani did that in "The Fugitive Kind." What they were expressing in that film seems true, but it's very difficult to put into words.
It seems to me that the world is full of strange rules, patterns, tensions and assumptions that none of us can articulate, but which we all know exist. Some actors thrive in that world. They deliberately go for nuanced motivations that defy description. My mystical way of saying it is that they step sideways into the true architecture of reality.
That's pretty vague, isn't it? Aaaargh! Maybe I'll return to this subject when I've had a chance to think about it a little more.
BTW: The caricatures shown here are all by David Levine. They are in descending order: Chekhov, Odets, Ibsen, and Tennessee Williams.
acting is a complicated thing, is it really the actor or the writer that creates the character? is acting really creative at all? how much input does the director have? its all very confusing, a mixed bag of results steming from creative collaboration, much like animation.
ReplyDeleteI was actually having a conversation with my girlfriend on the subject of acting yesterday, coincidentally enough! I believe the usage of acting has change. I believe that pre-1970 actors were almost conducted by directors and their scripts. By that I mean, each and every emotion was very distinct, pulling in and out of each one with much grace in their transitions. There was an incredible force behind these performances, an intensity of sorts. I believe this also has a lot to do with a lot of actor's theater backgrounds
ReplyDeleteI feel that since the 1970's culture in general changed a lot. Society, especially young adults weren't nearly as articulate as former generations and thus acting in cinema has been more colloquial and more casual. Or something to this effect anyway.
So for the former I think the purpose of acting is to define emotion, action and reaction while the latter is more leaned towards being conversational, progressing the story with casual sounding dialogue.
I do believe there is exception to this. However, this is just one perception.
Wow, Eddie! Do you have an example in mind?
ReplyDeleteWhat about the "fundamental atom", Eddie? ;^) A believable and appealing character sounds close, but I would say acting is simply to communicate an event or story. Cavemen acted to their hairy brethren to tell them how they killed mammoths, giant sloths, or how a voluptuous cave-girl walked and looked. :-) Theatre (acting) is supposedly the oldest art because of its necessity and its ability to teach.
ReplyDeleteActors are Jocks who think they're Artists.
ReplyDeletePappy: I rewrote part of the post and provided an example, but I still didn't do a good job of making my points. Aaaargh! It would have helped to have had some video reference.
ReplyDeleteBlake: communication is one of the most important building blocks, but It's still trumped IMHO by the need to create art.
Damiano: I agree!
Talking: A good director needs good actors. In an interview Orson Welles corrected Bogdonovitch (spelled right?) for putting too emphasis on directors.
I like to think there is a mysticism behind acting. There is some branch of film theory, I forget what it's called, something to do with fetish, that an audience must accept an illusion that the objects and actors in front of them (on a stage) are not really in the present moment, but are transporting us to another time. Even though we know, logically, that they are here in front of us now in the present moment.
ReplyDeleteFor film it becomes more confusing, as it's a double illusion - the actors pretend to be from another time PLUS they are just a projection of light on a screen - but we are willing to overlook this logic and accept the illusions.
A good actor, in this sense, must be a convincing illusionist, that's what's so mystical. It's like magic!
I don't know if I'm making much sense, is it just too difficult to put into words?
I haven't looked at your blog in a little while, Eddie, but I still love it when you analyze all these subjects like acting and theater constructively and such. I've had a lot of work in the past couple of weeks, so I haven't been able to comment so much. Senior year of high school is already turning out to be the worst in terms of the massive workload and pressure, and the most exhausting nightmare I've gone through yet. I'm not even sure if things are gonna work out in the end like I want them to. How did you keep yourself sane through your last year of high school?
ReplyDeleteUncle Eddie, I reread your post, and I'm starting to get what you mean. Maybe some videos would help - or even movie clips. Either way, I'd love to hear some examples/explanations about acting. Great post by the way!
ReplyDeleteBlake: Look up the last ten minutes of a film called "Stranger on the Third Floor." It's on YouTube. Peter Lorre's performance in that clip is what I would call pure art. It transcends mere communication.
ReplyDeleteLook up Landau playing Bella Lugosi in the film "Ed Wood," also on YouTube. Look up the scene where Bela threatens to create a race of supermen that will "conquer the VERLD!"
Arch: Wow! An interesting theory! Is there a book that talks about that?
Roberto: I loved my senior year because the courses were more interesting and people clowned around less. You could actually think about the fun subject at hand instead of being forced to participate in arm punching contests when the teacher wasn't looking.
My advice is to write papers so you're always comparing one thing to another. Don't just talk about a novel, but compare it to a similar novel. Don't just write about frog anatomy; compare it to newt anatomy. Don't just write about Napoleon's Italian campaign, compare it to Scipio's campaign in Spain. That sort of thing. If you start falling behind in a class get a tutor right away before the problem gets even worse.
Don't miss out on the prom, even if it look like it's going to be boring. Go out on some dates even if they're awkward and you only 1/2 like the girls, and don't have money or a car. Don't fail to make a reservation at Yellowstone or Yosemite a year in advance, so when high school's done you'll have somewhere to go to blow it off for the summer. Join a club that'll look good on your college application.
Here I go throwing in my two cents. I agree with Damiano about acting having changed over the years. The big over the top acting of the stage carried over to cinema for years until ‘method acting’ tried to make everything natural and not appear as acting. But I feel the intention should be the same as the flamboyant early stage and that would be to service the story. Just like the good animator, the actor chooses the cleanest ways of communicating character, physical and mental attitudes, and motivation for any actions. I think the best actors have an astute empathy for humanity and observation which allows them to change personalities and really believe they are the character and react accordingly to the situations the character faces. Maybe that’s over simplifying things but you won’t get much for two cents.
ReplyDeleteEddie, I am a British actor, most of my career has been with the royal Shakespeare company and I work regularly on television and film. I have had a dream career so far. I have appeared regularly in londons west end, won awards for my stage work with the rsc and acted with dame judi dench, Patrick Stewart and Ian mckellen. But, I have lost all sense of joy or purpose in it. Your piece on the purpose of acting has totally reinspired me and effectively stopped me from retiring early. The job can feel so self indulgent but you have reminded me of what is great about what we do. I thank you sincerely.
ReplyDeletePropeler: I showed your letter to my family, and now they look at me with new respect. Many thanks for the kind words!
ReplyDeleteNot at all Eddie, I was throwing away twelve years of hard work and nearly left my agent who OS one of the best on the country. I am not showing off with all this by the way, I just want you to understand that it was not for lack of work but lack of purpose. I was so down about it I literally had to Google 'what is the purpose of acting' to try and make sense of it. You never know how your words can affect many people In a positive and encouraging way. I have many students who will now benefit from your Insight. Keep up the good work mate!
ReplyDeletePropeler: Fascinating! Your students are lucky to have you. Many, many thanks for the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteI too have just googled 'Acting what's the point' and come across this wonderful discussion. I am a working actor, which I am in the main incredibly grateful for and feel very lucky, but I often question the integrity of my chosen profession and wonder what it's all for so reading these intelligent and thought provoking words I feel inspired to go to work and strive for the truth and magic of each moment in complete agreement that an actor's job is to serve the playwright. Thanks
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