In a message dated 8/10/00 1:56:14 AM, mightymezzo@h... writes:
<< He sure wasn't just "going through the motions" in the film of "The Entertainer."
The most recent performance I saw of the late, lamented Alec Guinness was a TV film in which he played a brain-damaged veteran returning to Normandy to put some flowers on the grave of a friend who saved his life. Guinness's performance in the role (written for him) was so convincing that I wondered if he had suffered a stroke. >>
Elizabeth:
Boy, is it difficult to communicate clearly in Cyberspace! ;-)
OF COURSE Olivier wasn't simply going through the motions! My point has been that truly skilled acting is much more than simple gesturing, using hands, face, eyes, etc.
For me, it seems that the most important elements are imagination and commitment. Taste, intelligence and acute observation don't hurt either! I believe that for a truly compelling performance, SOMETHING has to be going on on the inside. It's not actually experiencing the emotions of the character, but it is relating to them and re-creating them in a way that will resonate with the audience.
If great acting were simply a matter of using a series of gestures and facial expressions, we would be inundated with many, many more superb actors of Olivier's calibre.
Judy
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