ebooks The Folksong Fake Book: C Edition by Hal Leonard Corporation in Arts-Photography

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Almost As Good as TheaterBy Ann Cassinldquo;I warn you the more strenuously lsquo;realrsquo; a play or movie claims to be; the morebored I become The only honorable reality is that of pretending; but that is sufficient reason why acting matters beyond all differences in style; pay grade; or how lsquo;goodrsquo; the process ishellip;rdquo; He goes on a page further ldquo;Acting is so essential or inescapable that Iteasily absorbs and welcomes bad acting. So let us toss out that old chestnut that the play or the actor may help us lsquo;to live better.rsquo; There is no helphellip;The purpose of acting is to evade such considerations.rdquo; And the actors? Thomson introduces them: ldquo;hellip;actors must retain a childrsquo;s appetite for mimicry; for demanding attention; and; above all; for playing. They must see with a childrsquo;s heart; innocent of judgement.rdquo; This work is divided into four acts: Towards the End of the Day; Twilight; A Moment Later; and That Night plus Epilogue. These chapters contain such discussions as one of Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer; a play written for him by John Osborne and therdquo;lowest life he had ever played.rdquo; Olivier made the role ldquo;supreme.rdquo; Thomson writes The Entertainer speaks ldquo;to a moment in British history when the imperial bedrock was cracking and a famous actor felt the appealing risk in discarding his own heroic aplomb. And when he bumped into a writer prepared to teach him a lesson.rdquo; This author is entitled to make such an observation with his many published biographies and histories of film and the theater folk which are listed in the opening pages of this work. From his analyses of therdquo;empty splendorrdquo; of the smile of William Holden and his admission at one point thathis observations on Philip Seymore Hoffman were written on the day of his death; Why Acting Matters fascinates.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. OCCASIONALLY INTERESTING BUT . . .By Timothy HallinanThis is an occasionally interesting look at film acting by a prolific film critic and historian whom Ive always found to be only occasionally interesting. He makes much of the impact film has had on acting -- that it was the camera that scaled down the more theatrical acting styles of the past -- but doesnt actually say much about the impact of acting on film. And even at its meager length (not enough physical book for the price; by the way) it still managed to go on too long for me. Sorry not to be more enthusiastic.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not quite what I was hoping forBy Elizabeth KayeThis book is a disappointment. One of the first things he mentions is an incident between Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh; taken from Oliviers autobiography. Olivier clearly states that what happened was that Leigh told him she was no longer in love with him. But Thomson gets it backwards and says it was Olivier who fell out of love. He quotes Olivier to support his wrongheaded view. But of course the quote makes no sense since Thomson misapprehended what it refers to. This really cuts into my trust of Thomsons reporting and his ability to access what he sees. Also; reviews suggested the book is focused largely on Olivier and Brando but it isnt. I would find it more interesting if it was...