Book Description
In The Power of the Actor, a Los Angeles Times bestseller, premier acting teacher and coach Ivana Chubbuck reveals her cutting-edge technique, which has launched some of the most successful acting careers in Hollywood.
The first book from the instructor who has taught Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt, Elisabeth Shue, Djimon Hounsou, and Halle Berry, The Power of the Actor guides you to dynamic and effective results. For many of today's major talents, the Chubbuck Technique is the leading edge of acting for the twenty-first century. Ivana Chubbuck has developed a curriculum that takes the theories of the acting masters, such as Stanislavski, Meisner, and Hagen, to the next step by utilizing inner pain and emotions, not as an end in itself, but rather as a way to drive and win a goal.
In addition to the powerful twelve-step process, the book takes well-known scripts, both classic and contemporary, and demonstrates how to precisely apply Chubbuck's script- analysis process. The Power of the Actor is filled with fascinating and inspiring behind-the-scenes accounts of how noted actors have mastered their craft and have accomplished success in such a difficult and competitive field.
Praise for Ivana Chubbuck and The Power of the Actor
“This is my bible. I don't leave home without it.”—Eva Mendes
“Ivana Chubbuck is the premier acting coach of the twenty-first century. . . . Ivana's innovative methods of teaching both complement and rival those methods of the great teachers of the past. . . . Under Ivana's tutelage, the course of my career and depth of my work have changed dramatically.”—Halle Berry
Customer Reviews:
Sheer brilliance........2007-09-15
Ms. Chubbuck's unparalleled understanding of the human condition is immense! I think anyone determined to make advances for themselves in this craft would be remised to not only add this to their repertoire of acting books but to make this the utmost authority & only guide to becoming a "powerful" actor & an honest one at that. The book progresses deeper into understanding character in it's most visceral capacity and as the reader you come out having a greater understanding about yourself & others & how to translate that understanding not only into your work but you also end up incorporating it into your life. Her method has helped me in so many more ways than one. I LOVE how she details scene by scene how her method works by referencing some of the most celebrated portrayals by Actors whom have found incredible success & accolades by using her method. I have once spent a weekend renting a couple films she referenced in her book & was blown away by her obvious fingerprint in their work. "That's so Ivana" was uttered over & over as I watched... it was awesome. I have often found myself thinking that exact phrase when I interact with people in real life. I zone in easily on someone's objective & make sure mine is very clear."Doings" always cracks me up inside & I think of her. To the one negative review left by a former student of Ivana's it's a shame that you perceived her method as "getting you in your head", I beg to differ, it gets into your heart & I think that is the difference between her students who have found success & all those in between who haven't.
Phenomenally Practical.......2007-09-10
As someone who has studied acting for the better part of his life, Mrs. Chubbuck's book comes as a breath of fresh air. Anyone who studies acting finds himself surrounded by teachers who preach techniques that sound great in the classroom or the lecture hall, but fail miserably onstage or in front of the camera. The actor always blames himself; if he fails, he tells himself it's because he hasn't worked hard enough...it's never that what he has learned simply doesn't work.
Thankfully, Mrs. Chubbuck's book suffers from none of these problems. Yes, it's an excellent, entertaining read, and yes, the anecdotes about major stars whom she has coached are insightful and relevant, but the true strength of this book is in it's relentless pragmatism. There is nothing in this book that does not WORK; every word has been thoroughly tested against thousands of scripts from every imaginable genre of stage and screen. Mrs. Chubbuck's technique can take you from line readings and pre-conceived ideas into real human behavior; neurotic, fascinating and wild...in other words, the way people really are.
This is, in my opinion, the most important book about the craft of acting written in the last 20 years. It doesn't discount the work of those teachers who have come before, but respectfully pulls it all into the 21st century in a way that has never been done before, and is desperately, desperately needed. Regardless of what you've studied, your work cannot help but be enriched by this technique. Five stars.
SPEECHLESS!!! .......2007-05-22
This book is the holy grail of books! I have never read something that is so beautifully written! This book doesn't teach you the power of acting it teaches you how to become fully alive in yourself! It teaches you how to awaken your life and bring it to life though the characters you play. Even if you don't act I would read this book. I don't ever write reviews but after reading this book I felt that not telling people how much this book has changed me would be a disservice to myself and so many others that can benefit from this wonderful work!!! This book makes sense of life in a way that is so simple, practical, and easy to apply to any and all characters you will play. The simple exercises are so distilled and right on its scary! If you want to be the best actor you can be BUY THIS BOOK. I did and while I'm not the best. I'm the best I can be!!! :)
What to do when you get stumped.......2007-03-12
I have studied with many acting teachers over the decades, and learned much from each. The best of them opened up my thinking about life, not just acting: Stella Adler, Joan Darling, Roy London -- these were the most inspiring. I got Ivana Chubbuck's book when I decided to return to acting after ten years off. I had quit, in part because when I did not have one of my brilliant teachers available when I was working, sometimes I would get stumped, especially with very small parts, or very bad scripts.
The unique and brilliant things the great teachers had said in class was of no help on, say, a sitcom where I had to deliver one unfunny joke and try to make it funny.
Ivana's book is so specific about what you can do with any part, any scene, any line, that you can't get stumped. No matter what. You might not be able to make the ungreat great, but you will at least know what to do!
Her book led me to take her class, which is deliriously fun, challenging and inspiring. I have only been in her Master Class for a few weeks, but already I feel much more confident about my ability to tackle even the ungreat. And if I get something Great? WOW that will be fun, and not horribly anxiety producing as it sometimes used to be.
For those who think her technique makes you have to "think too much," I disagree. Her technique gives you something to root yourself in that is real, visceral, and ACTIVE.
Really Helping Me!.......2007-03-06
I've just recently gotten into acting. I've been going on auditions and walking the pavement so to speak. I've always wanted to act but, I guess I never thought I had the talent to do so. But, I finally went for it since it's one of my dreams. I've heard really wonderful feedback from people. And I've been told I have real natural talent. With no experience I wanted to look into learning more about developing my craft.
Since I've just recently gotten into acting I've been doing research. I must confess, I didn't know who Ivana Chubbuck was prior to reading her book. Believe it or not I found Ivan's book from a picture on People Magazine's website. Paris Hilton was shown holding Ivana's book. And there was a very positive caption about the book. So, I came onto to Amazon.com and found it right away. I read all the wonderful feedback and I had been researching books that I could get. I knew this was the one for me.
Ivana Chubbuck's Book "The Power Of The Actor" is an excellent learning tool for any actor. It's perfect for beginners like myself and for actors who have been in the business for years. It's a real delight to read and I know I'm really learning. I love how she breaks down the steps. It's giving me a boost in my confidence level. I'm now looking at the writing on the page in depth and not just reading it. 5 Stars! Thank You to Ivana Chubbuck for her great book.
Amazon.com
On our cultural radar screen, politics and celebrity are quickly merging (have merged?) into a single blip. Although this is the definitively postmodern development, it's not without precedent, and perhaps the granddaddy of it all is the subject of this engrossing book: Walter Winchell. By catching the rising star of radio Winchell was able to transform himself from poor boy to media superstar--and he was just as big as the politicians and movie stars he covered. When Winchell broadcast an unbecoming story about an actress, her career was in trouble; when he championed the cause of Joe McCarthy, the country was in trouble.
Book Description
Hailed as the most important and entertaining biography in recent memory, Gabler's account of the life of fast-talking gossip columnist and radio broadcaster Walter Winchell "fuses meticulous research with a deft grasp of the cultural nuances of an era when virtually everyone who mattered paid homage to Winchell" (Time). of photos.
Customer Reviews:
American Journalism's Most Powerful Gossip.......2005-05-21
Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity is an historical biography of Walter Winchell, a lower class Russian-American Jewish boy who morphed himself from a teenaged vaudeville performer into a nationally famous gossip columnist and radio personality that helped shape Depression-era and World War II America.
Walter Winchell was born in Harlem on April 7, 1897. As an adult, Winchell recalled an unhappy childhood of poverty, deprivation and neglect, surrounded by people who insulted and reviled him because he was poor. Author Neal Gabler says Winchell's childhood made him antagonistic, suspicious and resentful throughout his life. As an adolescent, he found the attention he craved and the skills he would use later in his career on the vaudeville stage. From vaudeville, Gabler says Winchell learned the values of mass culture and how to appear to be incautiously independent, unselfconscious and liberated. In reality, he was none of these. Gabler maintains "vaudeville made Walter Winchell an entertainer for life and in life."
When he was 12, Winchell taught himself to dance and was hired as a "song plugger" at a decrepit movie theater across from his apartment building. Song pluggers sang new tunes before the movie began, often leading the audience in group singing designed to sell them sheet music. When he was 13, Winchell won an audition with six other boys to fill parts in a show called the "Song Revue" that toured the country for a year on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Winchell performed with vaudeville companies and in a two-person act with his first wife, Rita Greene, until he was 23 when he escaped the stage to the poorly paid world of trade journalism as an assistant editor of "The Vaudeville News." Gabler says there is no evidence Winchell ever thought about becoming a reporter. He had little formal education and certainly no training in journalism. Nonetheless, he was driven to find a way to earn a living more secure than that of a vaudevillian. Attracted by the power of publicity that was indispensable to a vaudeville show, he leveraged his stage training, distinctive voice and theatrical personality into a character that looked like a traditional journalist. Rather than report, analyze and interpret legitimate news, however, Winchell became a big-name media gossip with enormous impact in a crucial period of 20th century American life.
Winchell worked incredibly hard for his fame. By 1933, he was internationally famous for his Jergens Lotion-sponsored ABC radio program, his movie roles and newsreel narrations, personal appearances and his daily "The Column" in the New York Mirror, syndicated nationally by Hearst's King Features. Alexander Woolcott wrote, "I have never been able to get far enough into the North woods not to find some trapper there who would quote Winchell's latest observation." Winchell's power did not derive from his accuracy; he was often very wrong. He never admitted mistakes as his fault, never issued retractions. Gabler says "The Column" was so sacrosanct and café society's faith in publicity so devout that Winchell spoke and wrote with an oracular authority. "If Winchell says so, it's gotta be true," said Lucille Ball about a Winchell report she was expecting a child (she was). Journalist-turned-film-producer David Brown was shocked to read in Winchell one day that his wife was divorcing him, then heard from her lawyer the next morning.
Winchell built his huge radio and newspaper following with a quirky blend of serious news seasoned with trivial theatrical gossip, topped off with stinging personal comment. He wrapped it all in a pop entertainment package that imitated journalistic form. He would give the same urgency and drama to a story of 10,000 people killed in an Ethiopian earthquake as to one about a cross-eyed man whose eyes were uncrossed when he was hit by a truck. Winchell's loyalists patronized him for his vicious attacks on famous people and his implied promise to tell them what was going to happen before it actually occurred. His shtick irritated traditional journalism and disgusted intellectuals who stumbled into listening or reading him. Gabler says Winchell was successful in the 1930s because Americans in the Depression distrusted traditional authority. And he nails the main reason for Winchell's success: for most folks, Walter Winchell was fun.
His radio audience lived primarily in eastern states and in urban areas with populations over 50,000. New York Herald Tribune radio critic John Crosby explained Winchell as an anxiety-monger who brilliantly captured the national mood in times of uncertainty. He added, "There's a definite feeling of guilt connected with listening to Walter Winchell." Gabler reports Winchell was at the top of national radio ratings just after Pearl Harbor and for several months in 1947-48 as Americans faced the threat of another war, this time with the Soviet Union. At times, his radio audience was larger than those of Bob Hope and Jack Benny.
Walter Winchell enjoyed a deep insider relationship with Franklin Roosevelt's White House and considered FDR a father figure and his benefactor. Just like Winchell's back-scratching friendship with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, the Roosevelt-Winchell association was a quid pro quo arrangement. Roosevelt guided Winchell politically for years, elevating him from the mud of gossip to occasionally credible political commentary. In return, Winchell flacked for FDR - and for Hoover - delivering the President's spin to Walter's massive radio and newspaper audiences. Roosevelt was also Winchell's apologist, lending him the power of the Oval Office when Walter needed protection. FDR's death marked the beginning of the end of Winchell's career.
Gabler compares Winchell to FDR's successor, Harry Truman and in the process, helps readers understand the real Winchell. He says Truman was the "quintessence of nineteenth century rural Midwestern America, Walter of twentieth-century eastern urban America. Truman was self-effacing, Walter self-aggrandizing. Truman was dispassionate, Walter the very model of hot unreason. Truman was a moderator by instinct, Walter a crusader. Truman was a private man thrust into a public role, Walter was a man without any private life at all, a man always on stage."
After bowing at Roosevelt's throne, Winchell found no majesty in Truman. He lacked the theatricality Roosevelt had in abundance that was so important to Winchell. What's more, Truman would never court Winchell as Roosevelt had and Walter resented it.
One of Winchell's sharpest critics was Time magazine. The magazine infuriated Winchell with steel fisted jabs wrapped in velvet gloves, asking him to show "a greater sense of responsibility in deciding what is legitimate public news and what is mere trouble-making gossip." Winchell was always happy to return the disrespect. As he became a strident, scare-mongering critic of Russian communism, he lashed out at Time. "Whittaker Chambers, Russian spy, started as top editor at Time mag in 1939 and not long after that (sic) mag could find nothing good about anything this American reporter wrote or said."
Because he'd been on the air, in print and in the national public eye so long, Winchell's audience had come to know what it could expect and developed a familiar, simple trust in him. Roosevelt's insider tips and interpretation of nuance had been extraordinarily important to Winchell in this regard. However after FDR's death, Winchell's naiveté and questionable judgment appeared with increasing frequency and America's trust in him declined. Two examples are telling. Shortly after Churchill's 1946 anti-Russian "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Missouri, Winchell wrote a piece praising Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, commending his "stern realism." Even though Winchell had always detested communism, it was hard for him to muster the same antagonism toward it as he had against Nazi fascism. Despite evolving into a staunch anti-Soviet, scaring America by calling for preparation for war against Russia, the Stalin piece weakened the Winchell mystique.
He pushed his own popularity over a cliff with strong support for Senator Joseph McCarthy. In fact, he was McCarthy's loudest cheerleader during the Army-McCarthy hearings. Winchell was later subpoenaed by the Watkins bipartisan congressional committee investigating McCarthy's communist witch hunt, interrogating him about sources for his "reporting." Winchell never revealed them, but word on the street made him a stooge for McCarthy and his committee's counsel, Roy Conn. While McCarthy faded from public consciousness, Winchell continued to defend him. As he did, Gabler says people came to see Winchell as a "crazy reactionary who destroyed careers, exacted revenge, baited alleged Reds, flung lies and half-truths and generally engaged in the worst excesses of this shameful period. And it was all true ... he had become a right-wing fanatic himself."
Toward the end of his career, Winchell confessed the fear that drove him constantly to self-promotion. "Who else will write about me?" he asked. Perhaps more revealing was Winchell's reaction to criticism that he'd talked too fast on one of his broadcasts. "If I slowed up," he said, "listeners would understand what I'm saying. Then they'd realize how unimportant it is and turn me off." Gabler says Winchell was always sensitive to the thin thread of celebrity, fearing it eventually would snap and banish him to the unknown. Rather than snap, though, Winchell's celebrity simply stretched into irrelevancy. Lonely and far removed from the center of public attention at the end of his frenetic professional and turbulent personal life, he died in California on February 20, 1972, a few months before his 75th birthday.
Walter Winchell entertained millions of Americans for decades by appealing to base human instincts. He was a far cry from a critical thinking, reflective journalist. On the contrary, he was a simplistic, opportunistic gossip who knew how to grab the public's attention. As a journalist, he lurked in the intellectual shadows of contemporaries Walter Lippmann, H.L. Mencken, Dorothy Thompson, Boake Carter and David Lawrence, each of whom overpowered Winchell with their insight.
Gabler's excellent book encourages a reflection on Winchell's legacy. He is the only American columnist / commentator ever to hold simultaneous top national broadcast ratings and print circulations in unrelated media properties and he did it for almost 20 years. His generation-long dominance of the American media-consuming audience of the day makes Walter Winchell arguably the most powerful individual voice in American journalistic history. In addition, he was one of the major characters who helped build U.S. radio. He was one of the first practitioners of tabloid journalism. Some would consider him the father of today's chatty, siren-chasing television content that masquerades as news.
There is no question Walter Winchell left an extraordinarily large footprint on 20th century America from the Great Depression through the years immediately after World War II. Tens of millions of Americans formed opinions reading and listening to him gossip, speculate and ridicule famous people. This legacy is why Winchell by Neal Gabler is important: the book helps us understand how a great deal of American public opinion was formed in a crucial time of U.S. history. Much of that opinion came from the typewriter and voice of Walter Winchell.
Great story.......2003-06-30
This is a great story of a strange man. Someone who got power, defined the celebrity personal interest story, exploited the influence he developed, thought he was God, and ruined his own life. It is especially compelling reading when it becomes clear that our fascination with famous people and their love lives and personal faults is really whipped up by these media people. It is also great when talking about Lucille Ball and how the public embraced her. When you see Winchell making the fateful mistake when siding with McCarthy, it seems like karma. This is a fantastic book.
More than just the voice for the "Untouchables.".......1999-05-08
Although most of us remember Walter Winchell fo rhis rapid-fire narration for the old "Untouchables" television show, he was much more than that. Neal Gabler chronicles Winchell's career and life, but it's his analysis of Winchell's affect on his times and culture that makes this book transcend routine biography. Winchell's became a powerful voice for a time: businessmen wanted to be his friend, celebrities needed him, and politicians feared him. In fact, most people feared him. But somehow, Winchell created a definition of celebrity that has endured even today. Although he may be forgetton in our conscious memories, Winchell still looms large in our cultural memory. This is a stunning biography of a man who fought hard to get it all and fought equally hard to keep his fame and recognition as lost it in a blaze of self-destructiveness. One of the best books I've read in years.
Rags-to-Riches Story.......1998-07-09
One has to admire Walter Winchell for he had it all: fame, power, money and beautiful women. Everything a man could want. And he had it for a long time (from the 1930s to the 1950s).
He also had an enormous ego which fostered many feuds with others he feared.
An outstanding book.
Book Description
The acting coach with star power reveals her cutting-edge performance approach, which has launched some of the most successful careers in Hollywood.
The first book from the leading instructor to the stars, whose client roster includes Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Kate Hudson, David Duchovny, and Halle Berry (for an Oscar-winning performance in Monster's Ball), The Power of the Actor gives every reader directions to excellence. Previous generations of actors were steeped in the teaching traditions of Stanislavski, Strasberg, and Hagen, which focused on feelings. For many of today's hottest talents, the Chubbuck Technique is the first choice—the new acting technique for the twenty-first century. Taking the theories of those traditional masters into a new realm of psychological and behavioral study, industry veteran Ivana Chubbuck has developed a curriculum that guides students to the heart of a character by finding out what the character wants more than anything else and the behaviors they will use to get it.
In addition to her powerful twelve-step process for creating genuine characters, Ivana Chubbuck:
o Takes well-known scripts, both classic and contemporary, and breaks them down using her process
o Provides sections on special acting skills, such as organically acting drunk, being mentally ill or pregnant, or creating sexual chemistry
o Provides a section on how to audition.
Filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of how countless celebrities mastered their craft, The Power of the Actor offers a trove of tidbits for fans as well.
Customer Reviews:
The Best I have found.......2006-06-12
I have been an actor for 5 years now. I've studied in multiple disciplines with multiple coaches. And over time while that has improved me as an actor, it has confused me as well. I have so much information and styles running around in my head that at times I have found that I have forgotten the basics. In addition, I haven't been able to find a systematic approach to acting that brings everyting together. Until now.
I was given Ivanna's book 2 years ago and never took the time to read it. I was studying with someone else and thought I was doing what I needed. I decided to pick up the book a few months ago and I found Ivanna's technique was what I was missing in my acting, a structure to wrap all of my thoughts and training around.
This book appeals to me as a person who likes some structure when approaching a script. However, it still encourages me to make discoveries and remain in the moment. It has truly opened my eyes to the possibilities that Ivanna's technique allows in delving into a character's psyche.
Not only was the book richly rewarding for me, but it has led me to her acting studio to study under her guidance in hopes of further utilizing her knowledge and approach.
I can't recommend this book enough for the working actor, as well as the newcomer. All levels of actor can benefit from the technique and structure she provides. Not to mention Part 2 of the book is FANTASTIC in preparing for auditions by offering some insights to careers and hang ups people have.
If it's good enough for Charlize and Halle...........2005-11-01
I wouldn't recommend this book for raw beginners, but someone who has a working knowledge of acting and stagecraft will find it immensely valuable. With its full exploration of the "why" of techniques mentioned in other texts, Ms. Chubbuck's technique refines Stanislavski to a practical and accessible recipe for creating believable and powerful characters. Highly recommended!
My New Best Friend.......2005-09-29
This book opened my eyes to another way of operating. I now use this technique even in my class scenes. Like AMEX, I don't go anywhere without it!
Great Ivana..........2005-09-22
I don't go anywhere withouit it...If you are serious about being an actor you need to be familiar with the Chubbuck Technique...you need to read the book! It has changed me as an actor and as a person...I feel empowered.
The Actor as Overcomer.......2005-09-08
I cannot say enough about what a gift this book and technique are for the actor. Ivana's book is a fresh and practical approach for all, especially those who may feel "techniqued- out". It is the first technique book I have looked at in over two years and I have been really enjoying it, digesting it and "overcoming" my own training wounds in the process. The whole idea of overcoming obstacles within the text is so alive and active for any actor who considers themself an overcomer, and also for those who long to bring themselves fully to any script. Ivana has created a technique that will custom fit the actor and not the other way around. I wish I had found this book long before I started my training.
Book Description
Designed for courses in beginning or intermediate acting, this text is a contemporary, personal, and provocative resource for students who strive to become great—not merely good—performers.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the Best.......2002-08-17
The above reviewer was probably an acting student at The Boston Conservatory. There, the standard text for senior year is Acting Power. That aside, the reviewer is correct. The book is the best you'll ever read on the techniques of acting. Forget Uta, forget Stanislavski, this book puts you in the mindset that what your scene objectives are are playable. You don't worry about what's behind you, you focus on what's ahead. Read the book and you'll see what I mean. Having written that, realize that you cannot really learn to act from a book. You have to work at it. This book just helps you come from a realistic standpoint.
Just the Best.......1999-12-23
"The best book on how to act yet written" is how this book is described on more than one "recommended books for actors" list. Aimed at the College Senior/Conservatory level. Some find it easier to follow if read backwards -- starting with the Appendix, then Chapter Six, then Chapter Five, etc.
Book Description
For thousands of years, in traditional societies around the world, actors were seen as the guardians of intuitive wisdom, and the way of the actor was a path to knowledge and power. Brian Bates believes that this is still the case todayâthat actors and actresses fulfill an important function in our culture as modern-day seers and shamans. He portrays the actor as a creator of visions who transports spectators out of their habitual ways of being and leads them on a journey of self-discovery. Personal magnetism and charisma, intense body awareness, and psychic sensitivity are among the special powers that contribute to the actor's mystique. Citing the observations and experiences of more than thirty famous performersâincluding Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando, Glenda Jackson, Liv Ullmann, Jack Nicholson, and Shirley MacLaineâthe author also draws on extensive research in science, psychology, parapsychology, and Eastern and Western mysticism to explore the significance of the dramatic art. He not only shows how the magical world of stage and screen mirrors our lives, but also reveals how actors and actresses point the way to self-transformation for everyone. For, as he writes, "the way of the actor is not an esoteric discipline divorced from everyday life. It is everyday life, heightened and lived to the full, with an awareness of powers beyond understanding."
Customer Reviews:
Perspectives on the art of acting.......2006-11-10
This is a valuable book for all the interviews and observations made by people who have worked and are working in the theatre. Their perspectives on the meaning and significance of acting as well as insights into their methodology are challenging and enlightening. Although not a "how to" book, the applications to one's art as well as "craft" are there for those who are already immersed in the theatrical process and open to "new" perspectives or even validation of one's existing views. For those not working in the theatre but fulfilling the necessary role of audience, and thus co-creators of the theatrical moment, the author gives a valuable insight into exactly what is happening in that space of time.
Acting in white satin.......2004-11-21
A Rare book of acting in white satin
Acting that never reach the end.
Book that will tell you Where others try to tell you but they cannot defend...
But this book makes you feel that what you want to be , you'll be in the end...
feel acting , dream acting, taste acting & smell acting
The real passion ....
Very deep & dream,
For actors and shamans alike.......2000-01-30
Dr. Bates paints a fascinating picture of actors as modern day shamans, and interviewed many actors, including Sir Lawrence Olivier, in the process. This is a must read for all serious actors, and for anyone interested in shamanic practices, it will also be very interesting.
Average customer rating:
- Great Alternative to the Method
- The Best Book On Acting
|
To the Actor
Michael Chekhov ,
Mala Powers , and
Simon Callow
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415258766 |
Book Description
To the Actor is the perfect handbook for professional and amateur actors and directors. Michael Chekhov's simple and practical method, used by actors all over the world, will train your imagination and body to quickly and effectively call up emotion, develop characters, and strengthen awareness. These exercises are an absolute must for any theatre practitioner.This revised and expanded edition of Michael Chekhov's classic text includes new material on the most popular aspect of Chekhov's techniques, Psychological Gesture. Celebrated director, Andrei Malaev-Babel, has translated this new chapter into English for the very first time and provides an invaluable commentary to provide you with new ways to apply Psychological Gesture. There is also a foreword by Simon Callow and a new biography of Chekhov by Mala Powers.
Customer Reviews:
Great Alternative to the Method.......2005-02-20
Some of the techniques I learned from "Respect for Acting" by Uta Hagen were causing me serious problems in my acting. I was trying to balance too many notions in my head at once, and it was compounding anxiety and tension, and hampering my awareness on stage.
This book gave me a lot of useful replacements for those cumbersome method techniques. Imagination is ultra-important and this book teaches you how to develop it. Chekhov will teach you how to find true honesty from your imagination, and how to connect your physical body with your imaginative powers.
This is a brilliant man, who devoted his life to finding and sharing a hopeful approach to acting. Stanislavsky openly regarded his great talent, and told him he had a great responsibility to try to share what he knew with future generations. He took that to heart and now we have this book.
I only give it 4 stars, because I believe that a quest for an acting technique is personal, and this can't be the solution for everyone, nor was it the complete boxed-up solution for me. If you have had problems with "The Method" give this a shot, though.
Check out his other book, "On the Technique of Acting." It provides some useful complimentary information.
The Best Book On Acting.......2003-09-03
Michael Chekhov was considered by many to be the greatest actor of the 20th century. Famous for his ability to create fantastic, and even grotesque, characterization with immense inner life. He left audiences stunned. Many well established Actors, directors and teachers have commented on the influence the Chekhov technique has had on them. Including Stella Adler, Lee Strassberg, Sanford Meisner, Gregory Peck, Harold Clurman, Anthony Quinn, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nickolson, Anthony Hopkins, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Bryner, Elia Kazan, and the list goes on. Many of these individuals where even taught by him. Stanislavsky himself called Michael Chekhov his greatest pupil. The Chekhov Technique is founded on each actors own creative individuality. Looking beyond the limitations of using your own experiences to call forth truth. He moves into the realm of the Imagination. From psycho-physical movement based work to expressing universal ideas in emotionally truthfull behavior. This book covers it all in a free, creative and nurturing way. It covers the use of atmospheres, quality of movement, objectives (aka: actions, intentions, verbs), calling forth emotion with ease, imaginary center and imaginary body, images, behavior, psychological gesture (as applied to the overall character, individual scenes, objectives, atmospheres, and moments), radiating and receiving, working off your partner, working off the audience, working with the director, improvisation, ensemble, styles from clown to tragedy, and much more. Everything in this book is both practical and fun to apply to the art of acting. Finally to the actor is available in it's entirety. If your an actor, director or teacher, it should be required reading. If your just someone interested in what's involved in the actor's craft, this book will show you the point of view of one of the greatest actor's in history. Highly Recommended.
Average customer rating:
- Glamorous Ladies of the Golden Age
- Where Are The Real Glamour Queens????
- Glamour and stardom galore
- I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!
- Excellentýawaiting a third entry!
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The Power of Glamour: The Women Who Defined the Magic of Stardom
Annette Tapert
Manufacturer: Crown
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0517703769
Release Date: 1998-11-03 |
Book Description
From Annette Tapert, the coauthor of the popular
The Power of Style, comes a book that is just as beautiful and entertaining but that redefines an attribute even more intangible. In word and image, it evokes a unique Hollywood era and eleven of its goddesses who lived, and left as their legacy, the Power of Glamour.
When the Glamour Era met the Golden Age of cinema, it cast a spell on a public beaten by the Depression and the threat of war. But the key ingredient in 1930s glamour was personality. Annette Tapert's movie-queen profiles, rich with fresh insights, reach beyond the star-making machinery, fan magazines, fashions, and cosmetics to the essence of each women: the carefully molded image of Gloria Swanson, who started it all . . . Marlene Dietrich's siren persona on and off screen . . . the "reverse glamour" of Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Their power--and that of Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer, Claudette Colbert, and the long-neglected Kay Francis, Dolores Del Rio, and Constance Bennett--lay in using style, wit, and guile to outsmart the studio system and enchant the world. In these pages we see how, veiled in intrigue and mystery, they brought glamour very close to its original meaning: witchcraft.
Customer Reviews:
Glamorous Ladies of the Golden Age.......2007-03-27
What a beautiful book! I originally paged thru this during a visit to my salon, and immediately ordered it online. The book profiles many of the most beautiful, glamorous actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age (1920s-1940s), and includes wonderful photos which show off their inimitible fashion sense, esp. Kay Francis, Constance Bennett, and Dolores Del Rio, all of whom are somewhat sadly forgotten today. An excellent book for anyone interested in Hollywood, glamour, and fashion history!
Where Are The Real Glamour Queens????.......2004-10-29
The book literally is a book of only the 30's. If your intrigued by the other decades of hollywood glamour, dont even consider the book. The book sadly totally alienates the true heavy weights such as the queen of glamour Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, even Audrey Hepburn who didnt have overly done style but its subtlness was nice. All in all, if your really intrested in the 30's glamour, go for it, but if you want more than that look else where.
Glamour and stardom galore.......2004-01-26
This gold and sepia book is gorgeous but the title is deceptive. It is a shame to use such a big word as "Glamour" and then narrow down the features to actresses of the decade of the thirties. I agree that all the stars presented, such as Constance Bennett, Joan Crawford, Katherine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson or Claudette Colbert do tipify glamour, but what about mega glamour stars such as Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly? Otherwise, this book is beautiful, lavishly illustrated and well researched.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!.......2002-09-27
Let me begin by saying that, as a huge vintage film fan, any book that features chapters devoted to both Norma Shearer and Kay Francis between its covers is perfect in my opinion. So now that you know that I am not an impartial judge, I have to tell you this book is fabulous. Annette Tapert did not focus on the cliche glamourous women, she focuses on the often times forgotten glamour girls, such as the aforementioned Norma Shearer and Kay Francis, as well as Dolores Del Rio and Constance Bennett. The book has fabulous photographs and a detailed biography of each glamourous woman. And, glamourous they were! All of the women featured here have left their mark on film and fashion through the years and deserve to be recognized as icons of glamour!
Excellentýawaiting a third entry!.......2002-01-31
I thoroughly enjoyed both of Miss Tapert's books, and hope that she is working on a third-perhaps on female writers who influenced style, such as Elinor Glyn, Jackie Susann and George Sand?
I was particularly pleased to see in this book actresses such as Constance Bennett and Kay Francis, who too often are overlooked. The only subject I might quibble with is Garbo, who was notoriously anti-style and anti-glamour in her private life. But that is a very small objection to a delightful and re-readable book!
Customer Reviews:
bunk.......2005-11-23
Lawrence Guiles' well-researched book on Tyrone Power is far and away superior to this very poorly put together hokum by Hector Arce. Guiles puts Power's life in an excellent perspective.
One of the reviews mentions the acknowledgments, but there are no source notes, which all reputable biographies have. So as far as what anyone told Mr. Arce, we have no way of knowing, as he does not attribute the quotes. Unless you can call an anonymous source an attribution. I love the section where he talks about what Tyrone Power was thinking while he was alone. Wonder what his source was for that one. In the Audrey Hepburn book by Diana Maychik, she acknowledges people who in court said they never met her and never spoke to her. So forget the acknowledgments.
If you enjoy fiction, this is the book for you.
Not So Secret Life of Tyrone Power.......2005-10-25
[...] First, this book was published in 1979. This is a very long time ago and many of the people who knew Tyrone were still alive. At the beginning of the book there is the Acknowledgments that Hector Arce lists of all the people he spoke with and who helped him with the collaboration of the project. Most of these people are now dead, but I certainly recognize a lot of the names listed who would know about Tyrone Power. Secondly, he does not say that Tyrone was a homosexual - cut and dried - he says he had his foot in both worlds. Tyrone was obviously bisexual which half of Hollywood is. I thought it was a very good biography of a complex man who most likely was not as happy as he could be. He was a beautiful man who I am sure all of Hollywood wanted a piece of. Many bisexual and homosexual men are tortured souls. Read the biography of Montgomery Clift.
This book about Tyrone is not a bad read and I recommend it as this is all that is out there in the way of a biography of Tyrone Power.
Talented beauty boy, questionable morals.......2004-06-06
While Arce lays out the details of Power's life in short, concise order, his allegations of the star's indiscretions leave much to be desired in the way of proof. Lots of subjectivity and conjecture with little to back it up. Leaves you shaking your head about where he got all of this stuff.
Read it for the bio--which I did find interesting--but the rest of it is anybody's best guess.
Appalling Book.......2004-03-13
This book is a rambling mess, delving into the private life of one of our most loved stars. The book creates a debate as to whether he was or was not gay. On the one hand, the author cites anonymous sources as testimony to his sexual preference for men. On the other hand, he does acknowledge that many of the people who knew the actor best denied vehemently that there was any indication that he was gay. He quoted several people by name, who were closest to him, who said "no way". Many of his pages retell stories written in movie magazines at the time. Oddly enough, none of those stories hinted anything of Tyrone Power being gay. These pages seemed to just be tossed in to fill up pages, without the author even citing the source. Personally, I feel that an old movie magazine is a poor source, and a reliable biographer would not use them, any more than a reliable biographer would print stories by people not even willing to stand behind their statements by giving their names. Oddly enough, there were times that the author described situations where Power was alone, yet he reported what he was doing/thinking. Strange. From the great amount of reading that I have done about the actor, I have read account after account from personal friends and co-workers who found him generous, kind, and giving, and, by all accounts, one of the most loved stars in Hollywood. The book is a shabby piece of writing, and I would assume that any reasonably intelligent person could see that, given the number of people who knew him who discounted these stories, there is a huge shadow cast on their accuracy. Truly, the book isn't worth reading once, as it is impossible to tell what is fact and what is a figment of the author's imagination.
Poorly researched biography of great Hollywood star.......2004-01-07
Unlike Fred Lawrence Guiles' excellent biography "Tyrone Power: The Last Idol", which used interviews with people who actually knew Tyrone, this book instead relys mostly on hearsay evidence to prove that Tyrone Power was bisexual. Hector Arce did not take the time to interview Annabella and Linda Christian (Power's two wives), consult the 20th Century-Fox studio records at the AMPAS library and spend six years writing it like Guiles did. Arce himself admits that most of his sources are anonymous in the forward.
Was Tyrone Power bisexual or heterosexual? For those looking for a straight-forward book, try Fred Laurence Guiles' book. For those that want to read a supermarket-tabloid style book, read this.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!.......2005-09-27
I agree with the premise of this book totally and disagree with the other review, which in my opinion, is misinformed. I had the privilege of seeing Tyrone Power in several plays, and he was magnificent. He received fantastic reviews which are documented in such publications as The New York Times and the Herald Tribune. Not to mention, his recording of John Brown's Body, which he toured with along with Raymond Massey and Judith Anderson, apparently two other rotten actors (?) is phenomenal. Twentieth Century Fox did everything they could to keep him a matinee idol and nothing else. When he made "Nightmare Alley," in which he got the finest reviews of his career, the studio did not publicize the film and released it as a B movie. That's fairly rotten, considering all the money he made for them.
Tyrone Power did not only work for Twentieth Century Fox. He worked for Columbia, MGM, and United Artists as well, but Fox also hardly ever loaned him out. As far as his lifestyle, what lifestyle are we talking about? The one that was revealed after he was dead so he couldn't sue? You cannot libel the dead; they have no rights. That's why tell-all books come out after people die. And whether he had a bad lifestyle or not, what about Errol Flynn's lifestyle? Rock Hudson's?
Tyrone Power's looks got in the way of many roles he played, that is for certain. He deserved better than what Fox gave him, but those were the days when studios held you in virtual slavery. Actors (and Power was no exception) constantly owed money on their contracts, and any breaks, such as to do theater, which Power often did, were added on to their contracts.
Fox made a fortune on this man, but because he was a home-grown property (and I know this as a writer with my first publisher) they treated him like dirt. We made you, we can break you. And tin Power's case, they nearly did.
Read between the lines..........2003-04-17
I'm a fan of Tyrone Power & really enjoyed his book. However, one of Powers' main complaints in life was not being respected as an actor and this is blamed, almost entirely, on 20th Century Fox and I don't agree with it.
Fox was the only studio willing to give Power a chance, even if it was based purely on his looks and not his acting talent. Over the years, his acting skills would develop, but not enough to convince the studios to cast him in more substantial, non-glamour boy roles. To change this glamour boy image, he pursued such masculine activites as joining the marines, riding motorcyles and flying planes. To prove he could act, he took every opportunity perform on the stage. But to no avail... the studios weren't convinced in the end.
Perhaps it is because they knew he wouldn't leave because no other studios were all that bothered with him in the beginning and and in later years his reckless off screen lifestyle meant that he had to stay with Fox & take whatever roles he was given just to make ends meet.
Tyrone Power owed his career to 20th Century Fox. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be writing this review because I wouldn't know who he was.
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