Respect for Acting [Hardcover]

Haskel Frankel (Collaborator), Uta Hagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1976

At the invitation of Herbert Berghof, Uta Hagen joined the faculty of the HB Studio in 1947. Since then, teaching has always been a challenge for her, as well as for the many prominent actors whom she has helped to develop. Now here is an account of her own struggles with the techniques of acting and based on her teaching. '

The first part, 'The Actor,' deals with techniques that set an actor in motion physically, verbally, and emotionally. It deals with the actor's concept of himself and with the art of acting, as well as with the ethics that have made the theater what it is today and what it could be tomorrow. '

Part Two, 'The Object Exercises' offers specific and detailed work for the actor, covering a broad range of his problems.

Part Three, 'The Play and the Role,' concerns itself with the definition of the play and identification with the character the actors will undertake. It also covers practical problems, the rehearsal, 'style' and communication.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: Macmillian Publishing Co. Inc.; 1st edition (1976)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000YR3QCI
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Uta Hagen was born in Germany in 1919 and made her Broadway debut in 1938 as Nina in the Lunt-Fontanne production of The Sea Gull. Among some of the twenty or more Broadway productions in which she has starred are: Othello, Key Largo, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Country Girl, Saint Joan, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Recently she starred in the Twentieth-Century Fox film The Other. Even during her playing engagements she has never stopped teaching at the HB Studio. Geraldine Page, Fritz Weaver, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon, Steve McQueen are only a few of the many fine actors she has helped to send on their way. She has also performed and directed at the HB Playwright's Foundation in numerous productions. Miss Hagen has been ably assisted in the writing of this book by Haskel Frankel, drama critic of The National Observer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BLUEPRINT FOR ACTORS, July 26, 2001

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Respect for Acting (Hardcover)

I have had the great pleasure and privilege of seeing Uta Hagen perform in plays by Edward Albee, Donald Margulies and George Bernard Shaw. She is surely one of the finest actors of our time. I have also had the great pleasure and privilege of studying for four years with Uta in the school she helped create with her late husband, Herbert Berghof (the famous HB Studio in New York City). I can assure you that she is one of the finest teachers of our time. It is a very rare actor who can actually communicate as a fine teacher. Uta is one of those very few who do just that.

In this, her first book, she lays out a "blueprint" for actors which, as surely as a blueprint by an architect, can be followed by those actors who are novices or those who have great experience. No, she cannot give you talent, but she can (and does) show you the how and why to use your talent to serve the playwright.

She believes in acting as an Art and this "how-to book" is invested with the love and respect of its title. It can be read and enjoyed and actually used by actors. It can also be read and enjoyed and relished by lovers of fine theatre who do not happen to be actors. It would make a terrific gift for any young actor along with the only books I would rate as its equal: Constantin Stanislavski's "An Actor Prepares" and his "Building A Character." It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must for any theatre enthusiast!, August 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Respect for Acting (Hardcover)

Uta Hagen has long been considered one of "our" best. Here she examines what makes a human being "tick" and how an actor can use this to enhance his/her performance. Too many times books on acting tend to be very bland, and uninformative. Or even worse, they tend to take an almost clinical approach to our art, making it impossible to enjoy, and almost equally impossible to learn.

Having read many books on technique, I would consider this one of the best. Unlike Stanislavski's trilogy, which to me is like reading a science textbook, it doesn't bore the reader while trying to teach him, but rather inspires the artist to a greater understanding of his art and himself as an artist. In the book, she challenges us to work to achieve a higher form of theatre, one that works collaboratively, not individually. In summation, all I can say is that, for me, she speaks to my soul.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Opinions, July 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Respect for Acting (Hardcover)

Uta Hagen has a great writing style, and "Respect for Acting" is clear and easy-to-read. She has many wonderful ideas, and I would definitely recommend this book to aspiring actors.
However, her methods (particularily sense and emotional memory) don't work for everyone. Be sure to also read Meisner, Clurman or Adler for more ideas, and find out what methods work for you.