I found this really interesting, and it clarified something for me, in a different context. As I was browsing the tv channels yesterday, I happened upon an old TV programme. I didn't have the sound on, but I thought the acting was atrocious. However, I couldn't understand why, given that it was very naturalistic, not histrionic. I think …
I found this really interesting, and it clarified something for me, in a different context. As I was browsing the tv channels yesterday, I happened upon an old TV programme. I didn't have the sound on, but I thought the acting was atrocious. However, I couldn't understand why, given that it was very naturalistic, not histrionic. I think that, applying your analysis to that context, I must have been picking up on the fact (as far as I'm concerned) that the acting wasn't natural, but fake natural. In other words, I suspect the actors were thinking things like "a person in this situation would do a double-take here, so I'll do a double take" etc. It reminds me of the George Burns quote: “The key to success is sincerity. If you can fake that you've got it made.”
Thank you Terry! I've been discovering your Substack recently. Very nice to be in touch!
Yeah, something very interesting happened in the history of acting that I don't completely understand but take to be analogous of a vast shift in consciousness and identity. Dustin Hoffman talks about in his Actors' Studio interview at the 8:00 mark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFZnZzaKQc
And it's possible sometimes to actually see it, like in the movie of Streetcar Named Desire where Brando and Vivian Leigh are acting with each other in the same scene but belong to two completely different modes of consciousness.
The way I've been thinking about is that acting in the Vivian Leigh/Sarah Bernhardt/Laurence Olivier model was all about accessing some sort of higher self. The point wasn't authenticity, it was to elevate oneself. That's part of a very ancient theatrical tradition - and is how most actors around the world act. And the new style of acting - Brando, Hoffman, etc - is all about authenticity (which very often means being connected to emotional trauma or to one's most difficult, most shameful moments).
It sounds like the actors in the program you were watching got caught somewhere betwixt and between!
Thanks, Sam. That was a really interesting interview. I liked Strasburg, but I think he kind of went off the rails a bit. I believe he even came to the conclusion that his mentor, Stanislavsky, didn't know what he was talking about. I can't forget the story of Olivier's comment to Hoffman on the set of the Marathon Man, when he (Hoffman) had been running to make himself out of breath: "Try acting, dear boy".
The best book on acting I ever read, which I think I must have lent to someone 'cos I haven't seen it for ages, is "About Acting", by Peter Barkworth. He had lots of great tips, such as when you come on stage, be putting a pen back into your pocket, because that suggests that you have a life outside of the play.
I'm not an actor myself, but many years ago I joined an amateur dramatics society and was determined to be the best I could be, which is why I looked into this stuff. I'm by no means an expert!
I'm looking forward to exploring your 'stack more as well, and to more discussions with you :-)
I found this really interesting, and it clarified something for me, in a different context. As I was browsing the tv channels yesterday, I happened upon an old TV programme. I didn't have the sound on, but I thought the acting was atrocious. However, I couldn't understand why, given that it was very naturalistic, not histrionic. I think that, applying your analysis to that context, I must have been picking up on the fact (as far as I'm concerned) that the acting wasn't natural, but fake natural. In other words, I suspect the actors were thinking things like "a person in this situation would do a double-take here, so I'll do a double take" etc. It reminds me of the George Burns quote: “The key to success is sincerity. If you can fake that you've got it made.”
Thank you Terry! I've been discovering your Substack recently. Very nice to be in touch!
Yeah, something very interesting happened in the history of acting that I don't completely understand but take to be analogous of a vast shift in consciousness and identity. Dustin Hoffman talks about in his Actors' Studio interview at the 8:00 mark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFZnZzaKQc
And it's possible sometimes to actually see it, like in the movie of Streetcar Named Desire where Brando and Vivian Leigh are acting with each other in the same scene but belong to two completely different modes of consciousness.
The way I've been thinking about is that acting in the Vivian Leigh/Sarah Bernhardt/Laurence Olivier model was all about accessing some sort of higher self. The point wasn't authenticity, it was to elevate oneself. That's part of a very ancient theatrical tradition - and is how most actors around the world act. And the new style of acting - Brando, Hoffman, etc - is all about authenticity (which very often means being connected to emotional trauma or to one's most difficult, most shameful moments).
It sounds like the actors in the program you were watching got caught somewhere betwixt and between!
- Sam
Thanks, Sam. That was a really interesting interview. I liked Strasburg, but I think he kind of went off the rails a bit. I believe he even came to the conclusion that his mentor, Stanislavsky, didn't know what he was talking about. I can't forget the story of Olivier's comment to Hoffman on the set of the Marathon Man, when he (Hoffman) had been running to make himself out of breath: "Try acting, dear boy".
The best book on acting I ever read, which I think I must have lent to someone 'cos I haven't seen it for ages, is "About Acting", by Peter Barkworth. He had lots of great tips, such as when you come on stage, be putting a pen back into your pocket, because that suggests that you have a life outside of the play.
I'm not an actor myself, but many years ago I joined an amateur dramatics society and was determined to be the best I could be, which is why I looked into this stuff. I'm by no means an expert!
I'm looking forward to exploring your 'stack more as well, and to more discussions with you :-)