The slow dilution of the technique rigorously taught by the members of the Group Theatre has sadly most permeated, of all things, the work of many American actors so that only a few are either so talented that they practice it by instinct, or they have been correctly taught, and use the technique habitually, or a combination of both. Yes, I'm repeating myself.
With the exception of the children, and through the second episode of The Plot Against America, the performance of John Turturro, the entire cast demonstrated that it doesn't know the difference between narrative and dramatic expression of a sentence. None of them, through the second episode seemed to comprehend action, the choice of a verb for each sentence, the idea of which must begin with a thought. The result of this error produced, for all of the occasional histrionics, indicated acting.
Ms. Ryder's performance was of particular interest to me because I've seen her perform excellently, especially approximately thirty years ago when she exhibited the innate talent we marvel at in children such as Azhy Robertson. I recently discussed Scarlett Johansson's work as well in this regard. Regardless of the measure of a child's talent, once they reach adulthood, I think it's imperative that they learn technique in order to understand what they intuited when they were children. If Azhy Robertson will still want to be an actor past the age of eighteen (not before!), his work will only improve, deepen, if he learns how to read the notes and not rely on his ability to play by ear.
For a discussion of the following scene, let's go along with the series' apparent interpretation of the character, Evelyn Finkel, as a romantically needy spinster who is taken advantage of by a married man. It's late afternoon in a hotel room, and they've just made love. Once Evelyn realizes that Angelo didn't make the reservation for a steak dinner at _______(I didn't get the name of the restaurant), Ms. Ryder said, "I gave you the number," as if it were a statement of fact. It's never a statement of fact! The actor is free to choose an action, but an action it must be! Accusatory? Part of the rising action after this is the accusation that she "brought a suitcase." Instinctively, Ms. Ryder was somewhat accusatory when she said this, but it wasn't specifically related to the progression/rising action of the scene, therefore nowhere near the importance it needed. Ah, and then, Ms. Ryder was given sentences to say that were indeed a mouthful, and if the writers' attempt at those sentences was to channel Clifford Odets, I sympathize with Ms. Ryder, they fell vastly short:
"You see me, and all the blood leaves your head.
You get a taste of fruit and everything changes."
Then, "Angelo, I thought you knew the_______." Sorry, I didn't understand the last word of that sentence, but whatever it was, it needed an action related to the rising action that began with the restaurant's phone number.
Again, those first two sentences should not be said as statements of fact, and they are separate thoughts, neither of which Evelyn knew she was going to say, correct? The first sentence/idea is that when he sees her, all the blood leaves his head and goes to his penis, right? What verb would best convey the thought/action Evelyn might need to make him see what she sees? "You get a taste of fruit and everything changes," needed to be the result of myriad images.
Then, the last beat after Angelo leaves; if the director encouraged a cliche action, please try to talk him out of it. Do seek actions that aren't cliches such as looking down, hand to mouth as if about to cry; how about a simple direct gaze at the closed door, trying to understand the circumstances you find yourself in? The actor needs to be cognizant of the character's journey of discovery that takes place in the arc of this scene.
With the exception of the children, and through the second episode of The Plot Against America, the performance of John Turturro, the entire cast demonstrated that it doesn't know the difference between narrative and dramatic expression of a sentence. None of them, through the second episode seemed to comprehend action, the choice of a verb for each sentence, the idea of which must begin with a thought. The result of this error produced, for all of the occasional histrionics, indicated acting.
Ms. Ryder's performance was of particular interest to me because I've seen her perform excellently, especially approximately thirty years ago when she exhibited the innate talent we marvel at in children such as Azhy Robertson. I recently discussed Scarlett Johansson's work as well in this regard. Regardless of the measure of a child's talent, once they reach adulthood, I think it's imperative that they learn technique in order to understand what they intuited when they were children. If Azhy Robertson will still want to be an actor past the age of eighteen (not before!), his work will only improve, deepen, if he learns how to read the notes and not rely on his ability to play by ear.
For a discussion of the following scene, let's go along with the series' apparent interpretation of the character, Evelyn Finkel, as a romantically needy spinster who is taken advantage of by a married man. It's late afternoon in a hotel room, and they've just made love. Once Evelyn realizes that Angelo didn't make the reservation for a steak dinner at _______(I didn't get the name of the restaurant), Ms. Ryder said, "I gave you the number," as if it were a statement of fact. It's never a statement of fact! The actor is free to choose an action, but an action it must be! Accusatory? Part of the rising action after this is the accusation that she "brought a suitcase." Instinctively, Ms. Ryder was somewhat accusatory when she said this, but it wasn't specifically related to the progression/rising action of the scene, therefore nowhere near the importance it needed. Ah, and then, Ms. Ryder was given sentences to say that were indeed a mouthful, and if the writers' attempt at those sentences was to channel Clifford Odets, I sympathize with Ms. Ryder, they fell vastly short:
"You see me, and all the blood leaves your head.
You get a taste of fruit and everything changes."
Then, "Angelo, I thought you knew the_______." Sorry, I didn't understand the last word of that sentence, but whatever it was, it needed an action related to the rising action that began with the restaurant's phone number.
Again, those first two sentences should not be said as statements of fact, and they are separate thoughts, neither of which Evelyn knew she was going to say, correct? The first sentence/idea is that when he sees her, all the blood leaves his head and goes to his penis, right? What verb would best convey the thought/action Evelyn might need to make him see what she sees? "You get a taste of fruit and everything changes," needed to be the result of myriad images.
Then, the last beat after Angelo leaves; if the director encouraged a cliche action, please try to talk him out of it. Do seek actions that aren't cliches such as looking down, hand to mouth as if about to cry; how about a simple direct gaze at the closed door, trying to understand the circumstances you find yourself in? The actor needs to be cognizant of the character's journey of discovery that takes place in the arc of this scene.
The plot against American actors that encourages them to perform by instinct or to study absurd versions of technique none of which they know they can rely on, reduces them to manipulated ciphers who gaze with amazement at actors who defy such behavior and perform, risking all, in order to be able to marvel at human behavior. In that vein, did Ms. Ryder ask the director/writer about a seeming contradiction that in the first episode Evelyn joins the family's Orthodox Sabbath observance, and in the second episode she tells Rabbi Bengelsdorf that her family isn't "particularly observant" when he asks her to be his assistant? How is the actor supposed to develop the character, and play that scene with the rabbi? Is Evelyn lying him? A subject for future episodes of The Plot Against American Actors.
