James Stewart :: Entertainment Film Papers

James Stewart "In a career of extraordinary range and depth, Jimmy Stewart has come to embody on screen the very image of the typical American.... His idealism, his determination, his vulnerability, and above all, his basic decency shine through every role he plays..."-- The American Film Institute. The Nature of Film and Acting When film was young, acting was overdone. Low quality cameras could only record large movements; posing and enunciation were overstated as a result of theater acting; the development of the character was limited to a script. Starting in the 1930's film acting became more natural. Actors could interpret scripts to find emotion and motivation in their characters. Good acting relies on a kinesthetic, an intrapersonal, and an interpersonal intelligence, all of which work together to form a creative expression. There exist limitless styles of acting; there is always something to learn. The physicality of the actor is the most important part of the creation of the character. Since all experiences are interpreted through a physical means (i.e. our senses), the kinesthetic actor can evoke a response from his audience by connecting his actions to their lives, memories, or emotions. By having distinct facial features or a certain body build, the actor's mere physical presence can convey some detail of his character. However, the most important part of the kinesthetic intelligence in acting is the knowledge of one's body, where it is, what it's doing, and what message it's conveying. This is more than just muscle movement. It includes physique, timing, rhythm, voice and mannerisms. When we watch movies, we notice emotion and characterization mainly in the eyes and mouth. However, a man can not just act from the neck up. What his body tells us is just as important as what his face tells. Try It! Make your body tense. Tighten every muscle you can. Now, smile. How do you feel? How would you appear to feel? For the actor, the hands are a good place to release energy, but conveying meaningful messages through the hands is hard to do. Also, overuse of gestures can be dizzying to a viewer. Voice is another excellent means of communicating the unstated. From sincerity to sarcasm, we can tell as much from the way something is said as from the words themselves. Underneath the physical lies the actor's presence. The intrapersonal unconsciously comes through in the form of a persona that the audience can further relate to.