As we begin the next unit--Director's Alive--we will begin to explore theory and practice. For this project, you will be directing a piece from the perspective of one of the theorists below. Katie Mitchell attempted to do this same thing as she explores Ophelia's Mad Speech through the lens of the different theorists.
Five Truths article "Five Truths brings new clarify to Ophelia's demise" from the Guardian (perhaps best read AFTER you watch).
Watch and connect below on HOW does Katie Mitchell bring out the theories of each theorist?
Constantin Stanislavski
Peter Brook
When I was first watching Peter Brook's version, I noticed his elements, but they didn't jump up to me as profoundly. There was cleary craziness in the portrayal of Ophelia, and lots of focus and concentration on her trying to deal with Polonius' death. However, the specificities only sprang forth when I watched Stanislavski's version, too. His was very modern and much more 'normal' and realistic, clearly following his theory on naturalism. By having Ophelia smoking and seeming like she is about to put flowers down at her father's grave, the scene becomes completely different. Also, she didn't do any abnormal humming, but instead said or sang her lines as the average person would do. Because of this, I noticed the clock ticking and the humming much more in Brook's version. His goal is to create connection and a common language, and the acting and the way in which Ophelia was portrayed in his version clearly speaks to the fact that she is not well anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat helped me to find these details, was Katie Mitchell's film angles. In the smaller box it seemed like she always included shots of things people don't immediately notice in the bigger shot, but she wants seen-- like they're little alerts to the audience to pay attention to those details. She also did not distract-- the theorists are mostly about the acting and portrayal of a character, and to get the essence of their beliefs, she did not overcomplicate the set or lighting designs. Only what was absolutely necessary was included and that is what made everything so much more significant.