Issue 19
Notebook

Acting: Central to a Director’s Cinema such as American Independent Film.

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  • Cynthia Baron
Cynthia Baron
Bowling Green State University
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63700/235

Published 2015-01-01

Keywords

  • Film acting,
  • screen performance,
  • American independent cinema,
  • naturalism,
  • Prague semiotics.

How to Cite

Baron, C. (2015). Acting: Central to a Director’s Cinema such as American Independent Film. L’Atalante. Journal of Film Studies, (19), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.63700/235

Copyright (c) 2015 L'Atalante. Journal of film studies

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

To illustrate that performances warrant the same attention given to other filmic elements, the essay demonstrates that acting can be crucial even in director-centered independent films. The analysis focuses on performances in Matewan (John Sayles, 1987), which belongs to the first “golden age” of American independent cinema and is by a recognized independent film director. It explores the neo-naturalistic conception of character that grounds Matewan’s performances. It also analyzes aspects of performance identified by Prague School theorists, gesture-signs (social gestures) and gesture-expressions (individual uses of gestures), showing that in Matewan key information about the characters and their world is conveyed by the gesture-signs selected and the qualities in actors’ individual gesture-expressions. 

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References

  1. American Cinematographer (1999). Interview with John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 52-56). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  2. American Film (1999). Dialogue on Film: John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 80-85). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  3. Baron, Cynthia, Carson, Diane, y Tomasulo, Frank P. (2004). Introduction. En C. Baron, D. Carson, y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 1-19). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  4. Baron, Cynthia (2006). Sayles between the Systems: Bucking “Industry Policy'; and Indie Apolitical Chic. En D. Carson y H. Kenaga (eds.), Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (pp. 16-50). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  5. Baron, Cynthia y Carnicke, Sharon Marie (2008). Reframing Screen Performance. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  6. Bould, Mark (2009). Lone Star: The Cinema of John Sayles. Londres: Wallflower Press.
  7. Carson, Diane (2004). Plain and Simple: Masculinity through John Sayles’s Lens. En C. Baron, D. Carson, y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 173-191). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  8. Ebert, Roger (1999). A Filmmaker with “Passion”. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 160-163). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  9. King, Geoff (2009). Indiewood USA… Where Hollywood Meets Independent Cinema. Londres: I. B. Tauris.
  10. King, Geoff, Molloy, Claire, y Tzioumakis, Yannis (eds.). (2013). American Independent Cinema: Indie, Indiewood and Beyond. Nueva York, Routledge.
  11. Kushner, Cheryl (1999). Real Big Leaguer Connects Again. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 117-121). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  12. Mayer, David (1999). Acting in Silent Film: Which Legacy of the Theatre? En A. Lovell y P. Kramer (eds.), Screen Acting (pp. 10-30). Londres: Routledge.
  13. McDonald, Paul (1999). Secrets and Lies: Acting for Mike Leigh. En A. Lovell y P. Kramer (eds.), Screen Acting (pp. 138-151). Londres: Routledge.
  14. Naremore, James (1988). Acting in the Cinema. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  15. Newman, Michael Z. (2010). Indiewood: Storytelling in American Independent Cinema. Nueva York: Columbia University Press.
  16. Perren, Alissa (2010). Indie Inc.: Miramax, Niche Films, and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s. Austin: University of Texas Press.
  17. Pierson, John (2003). Spike Mike Reloaded: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema. Nueva York: Hyperion.
  18. Ratner, Megan (1999). Borderlines. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 202-209). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  19. Sayles, John (1987). Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
  20. Schlesinger, Tom (1999). Putting People Together: An Interview with John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 15-26). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  21. Scott, Nancy (1999). Independent Sayles-man. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 129-132). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  22. Shumway, David R. (2012). John Sayles. Urbana, Chicago & Springfield: University of Illinois Press.
  23. Tzioumakis, Yannis (2006). American Independent Cinema: An Introduction. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
  24. — (2011). Hollywood’s Indie’s: Classics Divisions, Specialty Labels and the Independent Film Market. Edimburgo: Edinburgh University Press.
  25. University of Michigan (2014). The Special Collections Library: The John Sayles Archive.
  26. Viera, Maria (2004). Playing with Performance: Directorial and Performance Style in John Cassavetes’s Opening Night. En C. Baron, D. Carson y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 153-172). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  27. Woloch, Alex (2006). Breakups and Reunions: Late Realism in Early John Sayles. En D. Carson y H. Kenaga (eds.), Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (pp. 51-78). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  28. Wood, Jason (2004). 100 American Independent Films. Londres: British Film Institute
  29. American Cinematographer (1999). Interview with John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 52-56). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  30. American Film (1999). Dialogue on Film: John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 80-85). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  31. Baron, Cynthia, Carson, Diane, y Tomasulo, Frank P. (2004). Introduction. En C. Baron, D. Carson, y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 1-19). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  32. Baron, Cynthia (2006). Sayles between the Systems: Bucking & Industry Policy and Indie Apolitical Chic. En D. Carson y H. Kenaga (eds.), Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (pp. 16-50). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  33. Baron, Cynthia y Carnicke, Sharon Marie (2008). Reframing Screen Performance. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  34. Bould, Mark (2009). Lone Star: The Cinema of John Sayles. Londres: Wallflower Press.
  35. Carson, Diane (2004). Plain and Simple: Masculinity through John Sayles’s Lens. En C. Baron, D. Carson, y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 173-191). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  36. Ebert, Roger (1999). A Filmmaker with ‘Passion’;. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 160-163). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  37. King, Geoff (2009). Indiewood USA… Where Hollywood Meets Independent Cinema. Londres: I. B. Tauris.
  38. King, Geoff, Molloy, Claire, y Tzioumakis, Yannis (eds.). (2013). American Independent Cinema: Indie, Indiewood and Beyond. Nueva York, Routledge.
  39. Kushner, Cheryl (1999). Real Big Leaguer Connects Again. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 117-121). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  40. Mayer, David (1999). Acting in Silent Film: Which Legacy of the Theatre? En A. Lovell y P. Kramer (eds.), Screen Acting (pp. 10-30). Londres: Routledge.
  41. McDonald, Paul (1999). Secrets and Lies: Acting for Mike Leigh. En A. Lovell y P. Kramer (eds.), Screen Acting (pp. 138-151). Londres: Routledge.
  42. Naremore, James (1988). Acting in the Cinema. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  43. Newman, Michael Z. (2010). Indiewood: Storytelling in American Independent Cinema. Nueva York: Columbia University Press.
  44. Perren, Alissa (2010). Indie Inc.: Miramax, Niche Films, and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s. Austin: University of Texas Press.
  45. Pierson, John (2003). Spike Mike Reloaded: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema. Nueva York: Hyperion.
  46. Ratner, Megan (1999). Borderlines. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 202-209). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  47. Sayles, John (1987). Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
  48. Schlesinger, Tom (1999). Putting People Together: An Interview with John Sayles. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 15-26). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  49. Scott, Nancy (1999). Independent Sayles-man. En D. Carson (ed.), John Sayles Interviews (pp. 129-132). Jackson: University of Mississippi Press.
  50. Shumway, David R. (2012). John Sayles. Urbana, Chicago & Springfield: University of Illinois Press.
  51. Tzioumakis, Yannis (2006). American Independent Cinema: An Introduction. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
  52. — (2011). Hollywood’s Indie’s: Classics Divisions, Specialty Labels and the Independent Film Market. Edimburgo: Edinburgh University Press.
  53. University of Michigan (2014). The Special Collections Library: The John Sayles Archive.
  54. Viera, Maria (2004). Playing with Performance: Directorial and Performance Style in John Cassavetes’s Opening Night. En C. Baron, D. Carson y F. P. Tomasulo (eds.), More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (pp. 153-172). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  55. Woloch, Alex (2006). Breakups and Reunions: Late Realism in Early John Sayles. En D. Carson y H. Kenaga (eds.), Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (pp. 51-78). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  56. Wood, Jason (2004). 100 American Independent Films. Londres: British Film Institute.