In Character: Actors Acting [Hardcover]

Howard Schatz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2006

A collection of photographic portraits featuring well-known actors assuming a variety of roles, accompanied by their comments on the art of acting. By the award-winning photographer and best-selling author of "Athlete and "Nude Body Nude.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Photographer Schatz (Athlete) turns his lens to actors and challenges them to show off their craft. Many of the names are well known (Chevy Chase, Danny Glover, James Earl Jones, Edie Falco), but Schatz includes character actors as well, making for a balanced gathering. The actors are given a one-line description of a situation and are then photographed close up, with only their heads and hands to use. Although some reactions are broad and make for lively photographs—many people open their mouths so wide that every filling gleams—it's the subtle shifts in expression that stand out. With only their faces available to convey the response to a complex situation, some actors choose to make tiny adjustments; these smaller, more contained expressions are intriguing, as when Robert Vaughn gives only a kindly smile when asked to be "a pediatrician with a bright five-year-old cancer patient who is making up an intriguing fairy tale," or when Ellen Burstyn purses her lips slightly to become "a woman scorned." Beyond giving a glimpse of each actor's range, Schatz includes his subjects' thoughts on their profession. Although his work makes a zesty entry to the coffee table stack, Schatz's portraiture is also a vital, thrilling window into the breadth of an actor's range. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A stunning look of the actors craft and the subtle yet universal language of facial features in all their nuances." -- Monsters & Critics.com, April 23, 2006

"As fun to read as it is to look through." -- Los Angeles Times, April 6, 2006

"Consistently impressive" -- Washington Post, April 23, 2006

"Fascinating" -- Philadelphia Daily News, April 21, 2006

"Put Schatz on that very short list of photographers who can make celebrity portraiture something more than forgettable fluff." -- Fort Worth Star Telegram, April 16, 2006

"Schatz and his players deliver human vitality and performative intelligence on a grand scale." -- iphoto newsletter, April 2006

"Takes us up close and personal with 100 actors [and] achieves a level of intimacy that glamour photos never achieve" -- Toronto Sun, April 16, 2006

Schatz captures what actors do best:act. -- Playbill, May 2006

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; First edition. edition (April 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821229079
• ISBN-13: 978-0821229071
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.1 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Endlessly fascinating!!!, March 31, 2006

By 

Jill Brooke (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Character: Actors Acting (Hardcover)

If you are the least bit intersted in actors and acting, this is an absolute "Must Have". Never before have we seen actors looking like this -- we are so used to seeing them posing and looking beautiful. In this book, Howard Schatz captures actors doing what they do best: acting -- instead of merely having their picture taken. These celebrities aren't even wearing any make-up because they had no idea what kind of character they would be playing. We see every pore and every filling of some of the finest actors in the country today. Howard Schatz is positively one of the most talented photographers around -- It is to his credit that he was able to round-up 100 of the most talented actors from stage, screeb and television for such an ambitious project. Kudos to Mr. Schatz! Out of his 16 coffee table books, this is my absolute favorite!!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUUUUUUUUUTIFUL !!!!!!, March 31, 2006

By 

Billy Cameron (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Character: Actors Acting (Hardcover)

Love this book, just bought it at Barnes & Noble in Ft. Lauderdale. I know all these actors but have never seen them making faces like this. Robert Klein is so cool, and so is Edie Falco. It amazes me that photographers come up with such fantastic ideas for books. I get bored looking at family albums, so gimme more of this!!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, July 23, 2006

By 

T. Hodge (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Character: Actors Acting (Hardcover)

This is a must have for artists, animators and actors. Yes, the photography is superb, so as a pure art book, it's great. But I also recommend this book as a teaching tool. I have seen many, many books on facial expression, but this one surpasses them all by miles. Not only because it uses actors instead of ordinary Joes, but Schatz puts them into character by giving them a situation to react to and a personality to react with. Other books on expression, simply state "sad" or "confused" or "angry". Schatz directs the actors by saying "your are a man who has been told he has inoperable cancer", for instance. The results speak for themselves.