Paul E. Turtola
Laurence Olivier
Until his death in 1987, Laurence Olivier was one of the world’s finest stage and film actors. It would be wise indeed to study his methods to develop a respect for the acting craft. Olivier stressed the importance of hard work and individual determination to succeed in the cut-throat world of the theater. A set of standards and self-discipline is needed to withstand the pressures on the aspiring actor, and the need to make difficult decisions at pivotal moments is crucial to success.
“In the end we must decide for ourselves; but it is making the right decisions that counts, deciding and holding onto your beliefs, for it is you, and only you, at the end of the day, who can look after yourself, No one else really cares; you don’t need glasses to see that self-preservation is on the menu. You must have the strength, the will and the determination of an ox, and you must believe in your own beliefs. . . .
. . .We must in the end, look to ourselves. We can take counsel, we can take advice, but in the end we must decide; it must be our decision. This is not to say we mustn’t learn—we must. We must pick the brains of those who went before us; watch, learn and listen, research and discover; but above all, the final decision must be our own.”
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From his belief in hard work and determination, Olivier describes the preparation for his portrayal of Hamlet as an exploration into the human mind. While it isn’t necessary to research every aspect of each character discussed by the critics, it is important to know as much as possible about the person, so that proper choices can be made towards a satisfactory performance of the role. By being familiar with many ways to play Hamlet and by knowing different parts of his nature, the actor is allowed to choose those elements of the character that are right for playing this complex figure.
“‘The man in black’ is always interesting; as an actor your job is to enable the audience to follow his journey from one characteristic to another, from mood to mood. The actor must be absolutely clear in his mind where he is going, whatever theories he has nursed (and over the years there have been many); in the end he must tell the story.”
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Olivier describes Hamlet as a man with a myriad of hidden problems, and while he could easily creep inside the roles of Othello or Richard, he is unable to really describe how he got inside Hamlet. He again stresses the importance of believing in personal choices, and (whether one’s performance is received well or not) to be committed to one’s own interpretation and performance.
Activities for Theatrical Work
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-Prepare questions based on a play that has been studied in class and which will be seen in a live production during the course. Prepare questions for one or more of the actors in the play that pertain to the performance. For example: how did the actor work on the piece, develop the character being portrayed, feel about working with other actors? What was the director’s vision of the play? Did the design of set, lights or costumes influence the actor in any way? Keep a log of interviews from theater artists throughout the course and refer to these responses during acting work in the classroom.
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-It is recommended that, in addition to a notebook of collected interviews, an acting journal of some sort be kept. The student may record parts of interviews and notes or thoughts pertaining to acting. Such detailed accounts of other actors may inspire students to form their own methods of learning and think critically about future work. After taking this personal project on, students may save the journal and keep it for years. Enjoyment may come from this assignment as well: much of it will be an individual’s own viewpoints about acting. There is much to be said for new actors who learn independently than by someone else trying to teach them how to act at every step of the way. Perhaps a respect towards acting will give students the desire to read more, and the plays that once seemed dull and a waste of time may become important material for learning the acting craft. By developing a more professional attitude toward learning (through reading about and meeting professional actors) students may show more of a desire to read and respond critically in the classroom.
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-It would be very constructive if the teacher could arrange for a visit from a member of a theater company, whether it be a couple of actors, the director or a designer, or any other representative of the company. Invite them to come into the class and talk about the play and the professional life of a theater artist. It would make for a very interesting class if the students prepare questions for the guests in the same manner that they were used to reading and watching the numerous interviews of actors on acting. The more opportunities students have to meet with artists (and these people don’t have to be Broadway stars, just talented folk who enjoy what they do) and develop away of approaching them, the more they will feel comfortable learning how to develop acting skills. A successful theater class is one that has a creative and comfortable climate, so the sooner students become oriented to the theater world outside the classroom, the better the students’ attitude toward class work will become.
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-When working in the classroom, rehearse scenes privately with the students, but perform them for other classes in the school, or invite another teacher, a guest or even the principal. This will give the students a chance to show their work to others and gain a sense of what a performance is like. Also, let a student have the chance to watch someone else perform a scene, without any pressure to work on the play performed. If the student watching is not obligated to work on that particular play, it is possible that by a casual interest in what was seen, that play may be read at the student’s leisure. (If students find interest in plays that they aren’t required to work on, but read them anyway, consider the course to be a huge success and tell others about it.)
By using the theatrical approach to drama early in the course, interest in plays and a willingness to perform them can be generated. This strategy will benefit students that have good interpretive skills, for the focus of the cinematic approach to drama lies in their ability to see and hear things and create an opinion about them. By interpreting what they watch in a film, students may become interested in a directorial perspective towards theater and film.
The Cinematic Work of the Director
Objectives
The unit will teach students the observational skills needed to watch the images of a film, so that they can develop their own thoughts and ideas. By introducing the film version of the plays we cover in class, students will get an opportunity to develop a sense of imagery and become more keen about “reading” a play, a performance, or a film.
The cinematic approach to drama will include films taught in class that originated as famous pieces of literature. While plays will be the focus of the class, we will use other pieces of literature as well. It will be in this section of the class that the student will learn to read a play in a different manner than ever before. By teaching the student to develop observational skills, it may be possible for the student to understand the work at many new interesting levels.
The unit will teach students the visual, acoustic and kinetic elements of a work. By understanding a film through sensory approaches-seeing images, hearing sounds, interpreting movement-a student can comprehend the work in a much more compelling way than by reading the pages of a book. Though theater and film need to be thought of as separate forms of art, the two work together very well when it comes to introducing drama to young high school students. In his book,
The Divine Pastime
, Harold Clurman, a New York theater critic for over forty-five years, devotes a chapter of his book on the theater to the movies:
“While the theater for centuries has been taken as an adjunct of literature, its very name derives from the Greek ‘theatron,’ which connotes seeing. In our country at least, the theater has become visually impoverished as well as verbally depleted.
“Drama signifies action. In this respect also, the theater has become poor. It is generally deficient in movement. By their very nature, films, even if we think of them only in regard to editing, are all movement. . . .
“. . . Movies work directly on our senses. Because of all this they ‘grab’ us more readily than any other art.”
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While film has become a more popular art form than theater, no one art can replace another, and both can exist together in the art world.
“Films are a new and exciting mode of expression. They do not, I repeat, render any medium, however ancient or neglected, obsolete. What we are called upon to enjoy and evaluate in all the arts is the weight and quality of what they express.”
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Film, while being an exciting mode of expression, also serves a very practical use. To study the performances of past theatrical events, a medium must be available to record them. The use of videotape is enormously helpful in aiding the student to comprehend a work in a variety of ways, and will be used in the course as an important learning tool during scene work. The study of acting, directing, and watching a film is also made easier with the repeating ability of tape.
In the classroom teaching of the films of great plays, the choice of the film director as the central figure of the work will incorporate the writer’s and actor’s work previously described, and take another approach: that of the interpretive work involved in the making of a film. The student will also learn that without the writer and actor there is no film, and that to create a piece of cinematic art, a collaborative effort on the part of many artists is necessary. The student will learn that the director’s interpretation is a very personal vision of the writer’s work. The director can fulfill his ideas by using the actors to animate the play to get images across to his audience.
Strategies On Cinematic Work
We will study a variety of films that correlate with the previous work described in this unit (i.e., the writer’s and actor’s input), but much of the work in class will focus on the mark a director puts on a film. A student may be able to discern the director’s work by previously viewing other versions of the play, or by watching other films by that director. This may also allow the student to appreciate a director’s style or method of creating a film in a certain way. The following are samples of films that may be purchased and kept in the school’s library:
Max Reinhardt’s “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
The film is interesting not only as an original interpretation of a great play, but is also a sample of Reinhardt’s work, the work of a legendary man of the theater, who personified the modern view of the director as the one who conceives and controls the entire production,
Orson Welles’ “Macbeth”
His interpretation came from the stage version of the play for the Federal Theater’s Harlem company in 1936, using an all black cast and setting the play in the West Indies. In the later film version of the play, Welles turns the witches into practitioners of voodoo, and they lend a sense of magic and evil spirituality that other film versions do not have.
Laurence Olivier’s’ “Hamlet”
In this film the director has boldly interpreted the work as a psychological drama about a man who could not make up his mind. For modern audiences this may be a valid treatment, but the film was controversial in that it moved away from the playwright’s intent.
Three Versions of “Romeo and Juliet”
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-1936, George Cukor. The film is a lavish production based on what a nineteenth century stock company production might look like.
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-1954, Renato Castellani. A color film that was an attempt to take a non historical play on location in a historical setting, Verona Italy.
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-1954, Lev Arnstam. Presented “The Ballet of Romeo and Juliet,” using the Bolshoi Theater Ballet Company. It is a very useful film in that it shows how much of the play communicates itself without the use of dialogue.
Other Films. . .
“Antigone”, George Tzavellas; 1962.
“The Would be Gentleman”, Jean Meyer; 1960.
“Cyrano de Bergerac”, Michael Gordon; 1950.
“Oedipus Rex”, Tyrone Guthrie; 1957.
“Tartuffe”, F.W. Murnau; 1925.
Activities for Cinematic Work
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-Watch three films based on a single story, myth or legend. The teacher should attempt to come up with many examples for students to choose from. For instance, the Camelot legend: use the musical version, “ Camelot”, the film “Excalibur”, and the recently released “First Knight”. After viewing the films, write a list of the similarities that exist not only in the plot, but in other areas as well: the settings, dialogue, style, camera shots, colors, moods, etc. Then write a description of those elements that were different from film to film, mentioning plot, characters and design. Explain what made the films unique and what the director’s interpretation had to do with the result. Finally, give a review of each film the same way you would read a reviewer’s piece in a magazine or newspaper. Be sure to explain why you feel the way you do about certain things and cite references to what you have learned in class that influenced you to respond in such a manner.
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-Watch three films that are based on a single theme. Again, the teacher should have offerings to choose from, and the films may range from drama to comedy at various time periods. Take the theme of “love conquers all,” for instance. Describe how each of the following films treat this theme: “Much Ado About Nothing”, “Wuthering Heights”, and “West Side Story”. Be specific when proving your comments. Quote the text as often as you like, and include how the theme was developed by the director. What images were used to clarify his interpretation? Review each film briefly and write about what you might have done to strengthen the thematic values of the piece.
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-View a scene from a film in three unique ways before viewing the film in its entirety. The first time, turn the brightness of the screen down so that you can’t see the film, only hear it. On a piece of paper, record the acoustic images you heard and try to make out what is happening in the scene. On viewing the scene the second time, turn off the volume and bring the brightness back to the screen. Now view the scene through visual images only. Try not to use your perceptions of the scene from the previous viewing and try to hypothesize about what is happening in the scene. Third, replay the scene at fast speed and try to record any patterns of movement. Record the movement of characters in the scene, the camera, lighting, or any other effects that appear during the scene. Compare your findings with other students and try to come up with questions about the film that you are about to see in its entirety.
