This book offers a critical account of film performances by nonprofessional actors. Nonprofessional actors ― actors without previous acting training or experience ― have performed in films since the days of the Lumière brothers. Generally associated with currents such as Early Soviet Cinema, Italian Neorealism and New Argentine Cinema, nonprofessional actors also feature prominently in the works of celebrated directors including Pier Paolo Pasolini, Robert Bresson and Joanna Hogg. Since the turn of the century and the rise of digital filmmaking, the performances of nonprofessional actors have remained a staple of independent cinemas from all over the world, including films associated with the loose trend often referred to as Slow Cinema. Despite their enduring presence in acclaimed and widely discussed films, nonprofessional actors have received scant scholarly attention. This book proposes to analyse exemplary nonprofessional performances from across the history of cinema as a means of illuminating their significance and celebrating the performers’ contributions to the films.
Author(s): Miguel Gaggiotti
Series: Palgrave Close Readings in Film and Television
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 278
City: London
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Bodies Caught In Between
Between Acting and Non-acting
Contextualising Nonprofessional Performance
Conventions and Comparisons
Close Analysis and Nonprofessional Performance
The Limits and Possibilities of Performance
A Word on Focus
References
Part I: Historical Perspectives
Chapter 2: Naturshchiki, Types and Non-actors: Nonprofessional Performance in Early Soviet Cinema
The Naturshchik According to Kuleshov
The Worker and the Naturshchik
Typage According to Eisenstein
Marfa Lapkina in Old and New
The Non-actor According to Pudovkin
Pudovkin’s Methods Working With Non-actors: The Case of the Young Communist
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Italian Neorealism and the Nonprofessional Protagonist
Nonprofessional Performance in Italian Neorealism: A Theoretical Overview
An Amalgam of Workers: La Terra Trema
Rossellini’s Disruptive Amalgams
Edmund Moeschke in Germany Year Zero
De Sica and His Methods Working With “Actors From the Streets”
Bicycle Thieves’ Nonprofessional Characters
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: The Corruption of Nonprofessional Performance in Pasolini’s Cinema
Nonprofessional Performance in Pasolini’s Cinema: An Overview
Nonprofessional Performance in Salò
Conclusion
References
Part II: Contemporary Approaches
Chapter 5: Misael Saavedra in La libertad: The Work of Gestures
A Meeting by the Bonfire: The Collaboration Between Filmmaker and Nonprofessional Actor
The Economy of Gesture
The Return of the Naturshchik and the Imminence of a Revelation
The Mysteries of Saavedra’s Performance
The Journey of the Character-Object
The Return of the Character-Object
References
Chapter 6: Lluis Serrat and Lluis Carbó in Honor de Cavalleria: Nonprofessional Performance and the Quixotic
Bodily Disproportions: Playing Iconic Characters on Screen
Nonprofessional Actors and Iconic Characters
Quixotic Bodies and Their Disruptions
The Challenges Performing the Quixotic
Honor de Cavalleria: Achieving the Quixotic Through Nonprofessional Performance
Disrupting Don Quixote Through Nonprofessional Filmmaking
Unfaithfully Quixotic Performances
Quixote’s Madness and Carbó’s Nonprofessional Gestures
Panza’s Tiredness and Serrat’s Waiting
Quixote and Panza’s Bodily Exchanges
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Honor Swinton Byrne in The Souvenir: Self-Consciousness and Privilege
Julie: The Self-Consciousness of Privilege
Filmmaking and Escaping Privilege
Nonprofessional Performance and Privilege
Anthony: The Privilege of Self-Consciousness
The Possibilities of Perspective
Escape Through Self-Consciousness
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Conclusion
Nonprofessional Performances and Their Contributions
Nonprofessional Characters and Beyond
The Question of Realism
Nonprofessional Actors Outside the Screen
Professional and Nonprofessional Screen Performance
The End of the Nonprofessional Actor?
References
Index
