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PLAYING TO THE CAMERA

Name: PLAYING TO THE CAMERA
Author: Bert Cardullo
ISBN: 0-300-06983-9

FILM ACTORS DISCUSS THEIR CRAFT

edited by Bert Cardullo ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998

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The most underappreciated element of film as an art form (at least in academic film criticism) may well be acting; this collection, by four scholars (three at the University of Michigan, one at the University of Southern California), attempts to redress that imbalance by drawing on the words of those who practice the craft. According to Ronald Gottesman, this volume has been 25 years in the making, no doubt because so few actors of earlier generations have been inclined to intellectualize their profession. Indeed, it may well be that actors are by temperament and inclination not the best people to hold forth on how they do what they do. Certainly, a great deal in this volume suggests as much. The book consists of 42 pieces spanning nearly all of film history, from a reminiscence of acting in a 1912 silent by obscure British actor Charles Graham, to lengthy dialogues with the likes of Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro. These contributions are linked together, sometimes rather awkwardly, by Leigh Woods, who attempts to supply historical context for them. Some themes are sounded repeatedly: the difference between stage and screen; the difficulties inherent in working in bits and pieces, as one does in film; the relationship between personality and persona; keeping a perspective on craft after stardom rears its head. Many of the entries contain nuggets of interesting observation. Laurence Olivier offers an intriguing note on how film acting taught him to use his eyes more effectively onstage. Hume Cronyn contributes a useful checklist for building a part. Jack Lemmon compares acting to undergoing psychoanalysis. But much of the volume is tedious, repetitive, or outdated. Acting is about commanding the attention of the audience. This book will lead readers— attention to stray.

Pub Date: April 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-300-06983-9

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Yale Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.