Acting in the Cinema [Paperback]

James Naremore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 1988

In this richly detailed study, James Naremore focuses on the work of film acting, showing what players contribute to movies. Ranging from the earliest short subjects of Charles Chaplin to the contemporary features of Robert DeNiro, he develops a useful means of analyzing performance in the age of mechanical reproduction; at the same time, he reveals the ideological implications behind various approaches to acting, and suggests ways that behavior on the screen can be linked to the presentation of self in society.
Naremore's discussion of such figures as Lillian Gish, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney, and Cary Grant will interest the specialist and the general reader alike, helping to establish standards and methods for future writing about performers and their craft.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Rather than establish the norms and conventions of film acting as the background for his discussion, Naremore focuses his analyses on a group of films that, he argues, self-consciously thrusts questions of acting to the fore. While this approach enables him to differentiate one kind of performance from another, it leaves blurred the distinctions between script, camera, and acting. The book is more a series of intelligent discussions of individual star performances than a thorough analysis of the craft that the title seems to promise. Marshall Deutelbaum, Purdue Univ., W. Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Mr. Naremore concentrates on seven stars from Chaplin to DeNiro, and his comments are illuminating and passionately true." -- Films in Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (December 19, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520071948
• ISBN-13: 978-0520071940
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine analysis, June 29, 2002

By 

David Dwyer "David" (Richmond, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acting in the Cinema (Paperback)

Terrific book illuminates superior acting in film using various techniques. Naremore's choices are astute: he recognizes, for instance, Cary Grant's star turn in "North by Northwest" as the superb performance that it is; and I'll always be pleased that he wrote of Robert DeNiro as Rupert Pupkin in "King of Comedy" (rather than what at first seems the obvious choice -- his perfomance in "Raging Bull") for his study. The Pupkin role is certainly more clearly "about" performance, but it cheers me to see that underrated masterpiece lauded.

This is an academic book, but a very readable one. Naremore is an engaging and observant writer whose passion for the subject is evident. Fine stuff.

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Acting in the Cinema (Paperback)

interesting book with info about the cinema and acting. well-written.