Slick Tracy

Posted on by Jonathan Beckman

There is an old story about a stage actor having problems with the director William Wyler because his performance was too flamboyant. After each take Wyler said: ‘Next time, less.’ Finally, in exasperation the actor exploded: ‘If I give you any less now, I won’t be doing anything!’ ‘Now you’re getting the idea,’ said Wyler. […]

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Pointes of View

Posted on by Jonathan Beckman

After watching any of the great ballet movies – Waterloo Bridge, The Red Shoes, The Turning Point, Black Swan – one might reasonably assume that a masochistic complex underlies the psychopathology of the female ballet dancer. Why else would any adolescent choose a life framed by a grinding daily routine and ruled by brutal sergeant-major […]

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Principle Actors

Posted on by Jonathan Beckman

The interplay of show business and politics goes back at least as far as fifth-century Athens. The young Perikles acted as producer for Aeschylus’s Persae, which advertised Athenian naval power. Thanks to the play, the Battle of Salamis is taken to be the moment of Europe’s salvation from oriental domination. In fact, the later land […]

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