Differentiate between personality stars and actor stars, and list examples of each

Question

Styles of Acting

Answer 1

a. acting styles differ radically, depending on period, genre, tone, national origins, and directorial emphasis
i. period
1. Lillian Gish was regarded as a great realistic actress in the silent era
2. Kinski is stylized but realistic compared to Conrad Veidt
3. the art of silent acting encompasses only 15 years or so
ii. genre
1. stylized genres such as the samurai film
2. realistic contemporary story
iii. tone
1. Chaplin blended comedy with pathos
2. Greta Garbo perfected a romantic style of acting
b. British tradition
i. most important British film actors are often also the most prominent in the live theater
ii. British repertory system
1. almost every medium-sized city once had a resident drama company
2. there actors could learn their craft by playing a variety of roles from the classic repertory
3. especially the works of William Shakespeare.
4. as players improved, they rose through the ranks, attempting more complex roles
5. the best migrated to the larger cities, where the most prestigious theater companies were found
6. finest were regularly employed in the theaters of London, which is also adjacent to the centers of film production in Britain
iii. British repertory style of acting
1. tended to favor a mastery of externals
2. based on close observation
3. players being trained in diction, movement, makeup, dialects, fencing, dancing, body control, and ensemble acting
c. Method acting
i. post–World War II era tended to emphasize realistic styles of acting
ii. commonly associated with director Elia Kazan, Lee Strasberg in America
iii. developed by Constantin Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art Theater
iv. “You must live the part every moment you are playing it”
v. emotional recall: actor delves into his or her own past to discover feelings that are analogous to those of the character
vi. lengthy rehearsal periods, in which players were encouraged to improvise
vii. to discover the resonances of the text—the subtext
d. French New Wave—Godard, Truffaut, improvisation, cinema verite
i. popularized the technique of improvisation while their players were on camera
ii. resultant increase in realism was highly praised by critics
iii. capture a greater sense of discovery and surprise