Abstract:

This comprehensive collection provides theoretical accounts of the grounds and phenomenon of film acting. The volume features entries by some of the most prominent scholars on film acting who collectively represent the various theoretical traditions that constitute the discipline of film studies. Each section proposes novel ways of considering the recurring motifs in academic enquiries into film acting, including: (1) the mutually contingent problematic of description and interpretation, (2) the intricacies of bodily dynamics and their reception by audiences, (3) the significance of star performance, and (4) the impact of evolving technologies and film styles on acting traditions.

Notes:

"This book successfully bridges the gap between the non-specialist’s experience of film acting and the film theorist’s analysis of that experience. Moreover, because the book acknowledges and respects filmgoers, it allows them, in turn, to acknowledge and respect film theorists. And this is a remarkable achievement."

--Richard Brestoff, University of California, Irvine

"Given the powerful influence that film acting has on our communities, Theorizing Film Acting strikes me as a moral imperative for all those wishing to encourage reflection on a cultural force that continues to shape our psyches."

--Mary Angiolillo, FAMU, Prague

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