The movie I chose to analyze its acting and acting styles is The Godfather, Part II. The Godfather trilogy has a great mix of actors and with this, different styles of acting can be found.
As our textbook explains, there are several methods of acting used by actors. Which method they use often depends upon the film, or the role itself, but most actors stick with one method, for the most part (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2011)
Stylized acting “is used when actors and directors want to call attention to the fact that the actor is, indeed, acting.” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2011)
Realism is naturalistic acting. It doesn’t draw attention to itself but instead gives the impression of genuine human action and reaction. (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2011)
Method acting “requires that actors draw on their own memories and experiences to reach the heart of a character, so that they more genuinely feel the emotions they’re portraying instead of just pretending to.” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2011)
It is also known as the Stanislavsky method because of its developer, Russian actor, producer and theoretician Konstantin Stanislavsky. Stanislavsky was seeking a style of acting more appropriate to the greater realism of 20th-century drama than the histrionic acting styles of the 19th century (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). I find it very interesting that in his attempt to find a “realer” style of acting, he unintentionally developed a style that became widely popular.
In The Godfather, Part II, performances by Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, both method actors, are followed by an equally phenomenal performance by Robert De Niro, a method actor as well.
Al Pacino was initially not wanted for the part of Michael Corleone. He actually had to do several trials until Paramount Pictures finally accepted him, as we can see in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBn8fpo6Wfw
Pacino must have had to prove himself to others due to his young age and “non-star” status and he did so by applying the method acting technique. Although we can’t pinpoint exactly what past emotions he draws to connect with the character, here are several scenes in which his performance shows how he adopted the character. The fact that it is a trilogy, further allows us to see how he evolves along with his character. It makes it that much believable.
The following scene shows Michael Corleone visiting Frankie Pentangeli, played by Michael V. Gazzo, who was a playwright and stage director/actor. This scene shows two actors with, two, slightly different, acting styles. Al Pacino, as I mentioned before, is known to be a method actor, and Michael Gazzo, seems to be an actor with a realist style. His experience in theater is evident in his performance in this film. As our textbook explains, stage actor “must emote more, or express their feelings in a more showy way, so that the emotions and feelings they are trying to impart aren’t overlooked by audiences who are at various distances from the stage”(Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2011). Although I don’t think he deliberately decided to act the same way he would if he was on stage, I believe that this was something that came natural:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9W0aVz7oXE
In this particular scene, both Michael Corleone and Frankie Pentangeli mention the name “Hyman Roth”. Interestingly, famous method acting teacher, Lee Strasberg, played this character. Here’s a short clip of a scene with him and Al Pacino:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqUUIdv82fI
When I hear the term “Method Acting”, Robert De Niro is the first name that comes to mind. The role he played in this movie was that of young Vito Corleone. This role required him to speak and BE Sicilian, and in order to do so he “drenched himself in the wine-dark world of the Sicilian immigrant, of their lives from the olive groves of their star-crossed island to the crowded tenements of the Lower East Side”. (Hagopian) He took an extended trip to Sicily and experienced the life of a Sicilian. He said he went there to “find the threads of that man in his early life that created the power and warmth of the older Godfather” (Hagopian). This shows true passion, commitment and behavior of a true method actor.
The following clip is that of De Niro playing young Vito Corleone in the streets of New York City:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag97aKo2_uE
Taxi Driver is another movie in which De Niro’s performance shows how great of a method actor he is. It is said that he prepared for the role by actually working 12-hour shifts for a month prior to filming. Here’s a clip of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVrwF0m3b7o
The following clip is a scene in which I would say De Niro did a lot of improvising. It is a great scene, nonetheless:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fm6ppssFaQ
In my opinion, there’s a fine line between method acting and realism. After all, the purpose of method acting is to render a performance that seems as real as possible. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Michael Gazzo are great examples of both styles.
References:
Film: From Watching to Seeing
Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, C.
Bridgepoint Education, Inc., 2011
Enclopedia Britannica, 2014
The Godfather, Part II, Film Notes
New York State Writers Institute
Hagopian, Kevin
Penn State University
JackySmith0808 