Good acting relies on a kinesthetic, an intrapersonal, and an
interpersonal intelligence, all of which work together to form a
creative expression. There exist limitless styles of acting;
there is always something to learn.
The physicality of the actor is the most important part of
the creation of the character. Since all experiences are
interpreted through a physical means (i.e. our senses), the
kinesthetic actor can evoke a response from his audience by
connecting his actions to their lives, memories, or emotions. By
having distinct facial features or a certain body build, the
actor's mere physical presence can convey some detail of his
character. However, the most important part of the kinesthetic
intelligence in acting is the knowledge of one's body, where it
is, what it's doing, and what message it's conveying. This is
more than just muscle movement. It includes physique, timing,
rhythm, voice and mannerisms.
When we watch movies, we notice emotion and characterization
mainly in the eyes and mouth. However, a man can not just act
from the neck up. What his body tells us is just as important as
what his face tells.
Try It! Make your body tense. Tighten every muscle you can.
Now, smile. How do you feel? How would you appear to feel?
For the actor, the hands are a good place to release energy, but conveying meaningful messages through the hands is hard to do. Also, overuse of gestures can be dizzying to a viewer. Voice is another excellent means of communicating the unstated. From sincerity to sarcasm, we can tell as much from the way something is said as from the words themselves.
Underneath the physical lies the actor's presence. The
intrapersonal unconsciously comes through in the form of a persona
that the audience can further relate to. The personality of the
actor that comes out during the creation of his character creates
a human attraction, drawing audience members into the film.
"Personality actorsî have difficulties playing diverse roles,
because their auras come out so strongly in their works. The root
of their characters is basically the same, given a different name
and a different situation. However, personality acting is not
easy. It requires that the myth of the character, the mystery of
the story and the fact of the actor all be conveyed
simultaneously. The personality actor must, of course, combine
the kinesthetic within a context of thought or emotion; the
physical body of the actor reacts to the psychological state of
the character.
The hardest goal for the personality actor is maintaining
believability. If he understands the purpose of the film, the
inner actions of his mind will be manifested in his physical
being, and believability will be created.
James Stewart is classified as a personality actor. His off
screen life shaped his on-screen characterizations, which were
enhanced by his "physical potency.î Jim's best weapon is his
voice. Its unique quality yields an instantly identifiable
character, a sweet, naive, hesitant, curious, boyish image, which
is his persona.
He was an adventurous and imaginative child. One of his
chemistry experiments ended in a basement explosion. His attempt
to build and fly an airplane from the roof almost resulted in a
near fatality and a life long interest in aviation.
Music was important in the Stewart household. Elizabeth
played the piano, Alex was a choir member, and Jimmy learned the
accordion. Perhaps these musical influences opened the boy's eyes
to the entertainment business. His first performances came from
his patriotic side. While Dad was fighting in World War I, Jim
wrote and performed two basement-production plays entitled "To
Hell With the Kaiserî and "The Slacker.î A few high school plays
followed and then Jim left home to study architecture at
Princeton. He did do some theater there, but only as an
extracurricular hobby. In 1932 he graduated with honors, but
there wasn't much of a job market for architects during the
Depression. He planned to go to graduate school, but the summer
before that started he was invited to work with the University
Players as a "resident accordionist.î Jimmy conceded and the
experiences that summer led to a fifty-year film career.
After the summer of '32, Jim moved out to Hollywood to try film acting. His first film was The Murder Man of 1935. For the next few years, he played obscure parts in obscure movies. However, he was always working hard. There were times when he was working on three films simultaneously. At MGM he worked six days each week, filming, or working on lines, or practicing voice lessons. Director Anthony Mann said of him, he "dedicated his whole life to acting... he's always there, he's always anxious, he wants to be great.î Jim later said the best way to make movies it to be totally involved in the process.
One of these obscure performances caught the attention of director Frank Capra. He commissioned Jimmy to star in three films. The collaborations with Capra would skyrocket Stewart to Hollywood stardom. The first of the three films was a comedy called You Can't Take It With You.
Watch It! The restaurant scene. Here, Jimmy is threatening the girl with public embarrassment. The timing in this scene is comedic brilliance. And his facial expressions and hand gestures are more than just tricks of the trade; they are "innately Jimmy Stewart."
Jimmy's physical build also shaped what type of character he
played. Tall and skinny, he couldn't pull off the roll of an
overly macho male. His weak appearance lent itself to a more
passive, feminine hero, one who always manages to get trampled on.
Watch It! The bar fight in Destry Rides Again (1939). This is a
classic example of how merely the body, despite it's movements,
can create a character. Just from this scene we can tell
Stewart's character is not the masculine sheriff we expect, but he
is still strong enough to resist violence. Where else would you
find the story's hero being beat up by a girl?
Despite a lack of physical strength, strength of character
was very basic in Jimmy's interpretation of roles. Although he
had no formal training as an actor, his sense of community and
country-boy naivete always seemed to come through in his work. In
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) Jimmy plays a freshman senator
fighting the corrupt senior politicians. It wouldn't be hard for
a patriotic actor to play the innocent, but the kinesthetic action
defines the role.
Watch It! The filibuster scene. The hoarse voice, the staggering
walk and the yet unwavering hopeful gaze paint a vivid picture of
the Senator's dedication. This scene also proves that less can
mean more. As his monologue progresses, the movements are less
energetic, the voice is softer, but the message to the audience is
stronger.
Another scene from the same film gives an insight into how
much control Jimmy had over his actions.
Try It! Pick up something. Drop it. Did you release it? Did
your fingers flare outward? Did you push the object away from
you? Try it again. Make it look like you're not trying to drop
it. Harder, isn't it?
Watch It! The hat scene from Mr. Smith. See how gracefully he
fumbles with it? When it falls, it slides right out of his hands;
just as if he didn't know that was going to happen. Although by
this action you can tell how nervous the character is, it is not
important to the characters development, but rather it is
important to note the understanding Stewart has of his movements.
Along the same lines...
Try It! Fake a hiccup.
Watch It! The drunken scene in 1940's The Philadelphia Story. Notice how Jimmy will start a word, hiccup in the middle, the restart it without any hesitation, just as you would if you really had the hiccups. The amazing part of this scene was that it was unrehearsed. All the hiccuping is adlibbed; all of it sounds natural. Again this is just an example of how the way a speech is given can have more significance than the words in the speech itself.
Jim won a Best Actor Oscar for Philadelphia Story. The statuette went home to Indiana where it was proudly displayed in the family's hardware store window.
"My dear Jim boy. Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger... Jim, I'm banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience... I can say no more. I only continue to pray. Goodbye, my dear. God bless you and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you. Dad."
During the war, Jim shined as a leader, one of the fellows, relaxed yet strong, the same sort of qualities his film characters had. He flew twenty combat missions as a command pilot, became an operations officer and eventually chief of staff, 2nd combat wing, 2nd division, 8th Air Force. He left the service four years later, but many years matured.
Watch It! The prayer scene. The physicality of the quivering hands and the wavering of his voice show the character's insecurities. But it's really Jimmy's state of mind here that captures our attention. As Carol Burnett stated, "He is so in tune with that character, that he and George Bailey become one."
A few years after It's A Wonderful Life Jim met Gloria Hatrick McLean. They dated for a while, then got married in the summer of 1949. Gloria had two sons from a previous marriage, but Jimmy fathered them as if they were his natural born. The couple did have twin girls in 1951. Continuing the tradition of military excellence in the family, their eldest son, Ronald, served and died in Vietnam.
Jimmy's next important role was that of Elwood P. Dowd in
Harvey. This role would become classic Stewart. His costar in
this film is an invisible imaginary rabbit named Harvey.
Try It! Talk aloud to someone who isn't there.
Watch It! Introducing Harvey to the family. Again, here it is the
voice that carries this scene. Talking to empty space, even if
under direction, can be embarrassing. However, Jimmy's voice in
this scene is comfortable, relaxed. This is partially the
innocence of the character and partially the intelligence of the
actor.
Since the war, Jim and his acting talents had matured. Westerns gave him a better chance to prove he could play tougher, more direct characters. The first of fifteen westerns he made in the 1950's, Winchester '73, persuaded the public that he had outgrown his nice guy image. Clint Eastwood, today's master of the Western film, pointed out that Jimmy could handle violence and anger much more intensely than most actors could.
The confrontation at the bar. When Jimmy's characters crack, they sure do crack hard! You can see the tension throughout his face and hand, which helps you feel the anger in his head. Do you feel your muscles tighten when you notice how frustrated he is? That's the connection the actor is trying to make with his audience. He is pulling you into his character's world.
The Hitchcock collaborations of the 1950's elaborated upon
this psychodrama, by combining the frightening with the paranoid.
Stewart's image worked in these films because he portrayed the
every-man thrust into bizarre situations. For example, in Vertigo
Jimmy plays an obsessed and neurotic acrophobiac who gets pushed
too far.
Watch It! The final tower scene in Vertigo. Here, it is the
violent, jerky, uncontrolled motion that catches our attention.
This reflects the type of uncontrolled, violent thoughts that are
going through the character's mind. It is a perfect physical
manifestation of his psychological state.
Bibliography
Coe, Jonathan. Jimmy Stewart. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1994.
Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life. Hosted by Johnny Carson, 1983,
Aired November 1997, PBS.
The Jimmy Stewart Museum Web Site.
http://www.jimmy.org/
O'Brien, Mary Ellen. Film Acting. New York: Acro Publishing, 1983.