How Stanislavski Reinvented the Craft of Acting
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Published 2017-10-30
Actors like James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Montgomery Clift, brought a whole new toolset and perspective on the actor’s craft to the films they performed in.
The foundation of their work, however, was laid in Russia more than fifty years prior to their stardom.
Stanislavski’s conception of “psychological realism” in performance challenged ideas about the essential features of the actor’s craft that had been held for centuries.
In theatre before Stanislavski, acting was defined as a craft of vocal and gestural training. The role the actor played was to give life to the emotions of the text in a broad illustrative fashion. Formal categories such as melodrama, opera, vaudeville, and musicals, all played to this notion of the actor as chief representer of dramatic ideas.
Stanislavski’s key insight was in seeing the actor as an experiencer of authentic emotional moments.
Suddenly the craft of performance could be about seeking out a genuine internal experience of the narrative’s emotional journey.
From this foundation, realism in performance began to flourish. This not only changed our fundamental idea of the actor but invited a reinvention of the whole endeavor of telling stories through drama.
Teachers would adopt Stanisvlaski’s methods and ideas and elaborate upon them in American theatre schools. The result, in the 1950s, would be a new wave of actors and a style of acting that emphasized psychological realism to a greater degree than their peers in motion pictures.
This idea of realism grew to dominate our notion of successful performances in cinema. Stanislavskian-realism is now central to the DNA of how we direct and read performances, whether we are conscious of it or not.
I think it is important to know this history and consider its revolutionary character. Understanding the nature of Stanislavski’s insights allows us to look at other unasked questions, other foundational elements of our craft that we might take for granted. I think it can give us perspective into the ways we might push the craft forward and challenge ourselves to seek a greater truth in the stories we tell.
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Visual References: A Place in the Sun, A Streetcar Named Desire, Anatomy of a Murder, Baby Doll, Before Sunset, Blue Valentine, Carol, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Daisies, East of Eden, Giant, Grandmother, Kid Auto Races at Venice, Moonlight, On the Waterfront, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Splendor in the Grass, Taxi Driver, The Breaking Point, The Heiress, The Conversation, The Misfits, There Will Be Blood, Twentieth Century, Vaudeville: Early American Entertainment, Wild River
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Stanislavski’s books are still fascinating explorations of the craft of performance.
Check them out:
An Actor Prepares: goo.gl/8CR551
Building a Character: goo.gl/pZR1U4
Creating a Role: goo.gl/ato2rZ
The Stanislavsky System: goo.gl/JDGkfK
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Patreon: patreon.com/luxessays
Twitter: twitter.com/travratc
Vimeo: vimeo.com/travisleeratcliff
All Comments (21)
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i wish all my fellow drama students on the verge of giving up a very pleasant evening.
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Everybody is so ready to see actors who already have the fame, instead of learning how they got the skills to get there. You deserve more views.
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Looking over the films of the 50s, they truly did capture the essence of the depressing reality of life from the characters struggling with their problems, to the desolate streets and cramped apartments, that was life for people then. There was no escapism, not many distractions, it was all life dealing with life.
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Great explaining, even though stanislavski is a "failed actor" his interpretation of the craft is responsible for so many talented performances today.
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Started my Acting and Performance course today and my research has brought me straight here lol
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Thanks for the great upload!
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This was so thorough! Thank you so much! 🙏🏾
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This was honestly one of the best informative videos I’ve ever seen. Thanks a lot
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This is extremely well made. Thank you!
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Your essay/narrative was perfect.
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This is beautiful and emotional work. I am still unacquainted with the essence of craft in art, but I was lost in it for a moment.
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Great video, great voice, great editing! Thanks 👌
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That was phenomenal thank you :)
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Great video and lesson, much appreciated!
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The value in this video is overwhelming. Thank you for this. I do have one question... Would you say that successful method acting, is somewhat dependent on a writers' ability to illustrate and describe characters? Or would you say its more a function of an actors creativity and imagination?
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This was INCREDIBLE! I showed it to my students, great production guys, well done 100x over. LOVE!
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Please continue posting on this channel , your content is so helpful. Do it for the few of us please ...
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Thank you. Beautiful and informative video.
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This was great. Thank you.
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Great work, solid job
