• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

(A)Typical Jimmy: James Stewart and Hollywood Studio Era Acting by Jennifer Huzera, B.A. (Hons.) A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Film Studies Carleton University OTTAWA, Ontario May 2011 2011, Jennifer Huzera Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81632-5 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81632-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduce, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ii Abstract In this thesis, I wish challenge the myths surrounding Hollywood Studio Era performance styles. It is problematic that the vast majority of commentaries on studio era acting rely on the idea that actors of this period were moulded by Studio executives into palatable personas which appealed to the masses of film viewers, and relied on this persona as the basis for all of their roles. While this may be true in some cases, the most enduring of these performers cannot be defined so simply. The more respected actors of the period were not merely "playing themselves" in every single film - they actively created roles. This thesis focuses on James Stewart, an actor who seemed to always rely on his recognizable personal traits to play characters, but who actually adapted his acting techniques to portray a wide range of roles beyond his well-known persona of the mild- mannered, unassuming, hesitant, ail-American man. iii Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank my parents for their continual encouragement and support, not only during my education, but in all aspects of my life. Without your hard work and determination, I wouldn't be where I am today. I owe so much of my success at Carleton to the support and guidance provided to me by my outstanding supervisor, Andre Loiselle. You have helped me to not only hone my writing skills, but also to find confidence in myself and look at this whole process with some humour. Thank you for all of your hard work and for taking me on as your student years ago, having never met me before. The opportunity to work with you has meant very much to me. Of course, I also want to acknowledge Zuzana Pick, Marc Furstenau, Charles O'Brien, Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano, Aboubakar Sanogo and especially George McKnight for their encouragement, support and for fostering my interest in film throughout my time at Carleton. And, I cannot let Jose Sanchez escape without his due. You have not only been a fantastic professor, but also a great boss and an incredibly supportive friend. I thank you for everything. To my classmates (Mona, Dave, Adam, Matt, Gina and Kira), I will treasure your friendships, and I thank you for your support and helpful feedback. To my friends in the PhD program (Ben, Esther and Jess), thank you for all your advice and support also. Finally, to Cameron Anstee, my partner. I cannot thank you enough for your patience, feedback and editing help. You have been incredible throughout this whole process, and I love you very much. Thank you for your confidence in me! iv Table of Contents Introduction 1 Literature Review and Methodology 6 Chapter Breakdown 15 Chapter One: The Typical Stewart 19 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 23 It's a Wonderful Life 28 Harvey 37 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 42 The Typical Stewart's Physical and Vocal Style 48 Chapter Two: Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's Films 51 Rear Window 56 Vertigo 65 Rope 72 Stewart in Hitchcock 76 Chapter Three: Stewart in the Anthony Mann Western 79 Winchester '73 81 The Naked Spur 88 Stewart in Mann 92 Conclusion 95 Bibliography 99 1 Introduction All the more important, then, becomes the training—and mastery—of those features of face and body that can be controlled. For each actor they form a personal repertory of signs that he or she is able to display [...] It is from that pool of personal physical resources that actors select their signs.1 It is deeply problematic that the vast majority of commentaries on studio era acting rely on the idea that actors and actresses of this period were moulded by Studio executives into palatable and unchanging personas which appealed to the masses of film viewers, and relied on this persona as the basis for all of their roles. For instance, John Fawell, in his book entitled The Hidden Art of Hollywood: In Defense of the Studio Era Film (2008), in his chapter called "Hollywood Acting," under the subheading "One Persona," claims that "Hollywood [...] did not really believe that actors could transform themselves from movie to movie. [...] Hollywood prized actors, not for their versatility, but for their consistency." While this may be true in some cases, the most compelling, well-received and enduring of these performers cannot be defined so simply. It is rather arbitrary to say that performers at this time apparently did not so much perform as insert themselves into various fictional situations and 'act' their own personalities in front of the camera. It would be extremely difficult to prove that this mode of acting was the leading practice at the time, especially because most Hollywood performers were intentionally presented this way in order to appeal to audiences, a marketing scheme which encouraged viewers to believe they were personally familiar with, and become 2 emotionally invested in the stars.3 This thesis aims to demonstrate that, in fact, even an easily caricatured actor such as James Stewart did not always rely on his recognizable traits to create a character. He was able to play varied roles and relied on different gestures and signifiers of performance during his long career in acting to create differing effects. Thus, in this project, I will address some of the myths surrounding Hollywood Studio Era performance styles, specifically focusing on the period from the early 1930s to the early 1960s, through the examination of a number of the performances of James Stewart. The Studio Era of Hollywood has been written about ad nauseum in innumerable texts throughout the history of Film Studies. This is true for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the lasting appeal of the films of this era. They are timeless classics, often consisting of engaging stories, glamorous actors and actresses and grand aesthetic styles. My interest in this era lies precisely in the glamour and long-lasting appeal of these films, and also in the artistry of these, the building blocks of the contemporary Hollywood industry. Not only are these films important to the viewing history of North American audiences, but they have historically also been popular and inspiring to international filmmakers and their audiences. What are the sources of the enduring, widespread appeal of these films? My belief is that these films and the Hollywood industry were so popular and still are due in part to the life breathed into the films by the actors and actresses of the period. It seems obvious to me that the majority of the most effective performers of the time were multidimensional and retained their appeal with their fascinating and glamorous personas. Their perceived 'real' personas, however, are 3 not the most important aspect of these performers. Many film actors came to the cinema from stage backgrounds, and were most often already trained in stage performance traditions. It is necessary to refute the notion that actors and actresses in this period relied simply on their personas (real or studio-manufactured) for crafting their roles. My aim in this project is to prove, through the detailed analysis and consideration of one actor in particular, that actors in this era were not only capable of, but experts at, performing more than one modified role. I have chosen James Stewart and his film acting career as my object of study as I feel he is an actor who made his career playing roles that were not only varied, but also contradictory.

Load more

  105

Copy Link