Deficit seen in American acting compared to British

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ASPartOfMe
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24 Feb 2015, 4:00 pm

"What does the latest British invasion say about the state of American acting?"
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/28/selma-british-actors


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Fnord
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24 Feb 2015, 6:38 pm

The main difference being that American entertainment is centered on spectacle - explosions, flames, violence, blood, and so forth - while British entertainment seem more centered on the essentials - plot, character development, and being true to genre.

I am more entertained by watching just a single episode of "Doc Martin" or "Call the Midwife!" than an entire season of "Criminal Minds" or "NCIS".



Prof_Pretorius
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24 Feb 2015, 6:45 pm

Well, we invented theater, you know. Shakespeare and all that.


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24 Feb 2015, 6:59 pm

Well before I read the article I will say this, the British sure do have a way of making subtle kinda dry humor far more hilarious than Americans generally speaking. And yesterday when I was with my brother and our friend at wal-mart I started going off about random things in probably the best british accent I have attempted yet and the other person in line gave me the wierdest look...they had probably heard me talking in american english before that. But yeah its kind of a thing me and my brother do we'll talk in random accents, meow and growl at each other to get each others attention and not sure if our friend initially did this to....but if not he's picked up on it.


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Fnord
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24 Feb 2015, 7:21 pm

Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Well, we invented theater, you know. Shakespeare and all that.
I didn't know that William Shakespeare was Greek.



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24 Feb 2015, 7:31 pm

Uhh my brain its hard for me to see where that article is going exactly....sometimes my reading comprehension fails me.


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24 Feb 2015, 7:37 pm

British shows cast average-looking people, presumably for their acting skill.
American shows cast people based on looks.



Prof_Pretorius
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24 Feb 2015, 8:02 pm

Fnord wrote:
Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Well, we invented theater, you know. Shakespeare and all that.
I didn't know that William Shakespeare was Greek.


They don't count. We invented the whole indoor stage with backdrops and curtains and wings.


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traven
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25 Feb 2015, 8:07 am

Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Fnord wrote:
Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Well, we invented theater, you know. Shakespeare and all that.
I didn't know that William Shakespeare was Greek.


They don't count. We invented the whole indoor stage with backdrops and curtains and wings.


"They don't count". Let's take a new look on history making .. :?
no need for context for something to happen, it just is there ?

-Theatre took a big pause during 1642 and 1660 in England because of Cromwell's Interregnum. Theatre was seen as something sinful and the Puritans tried very hard to drive it out of their society. Because of this stagnant period, once Charles II came back to the throne in 1660 in the Restoration, theatre (among other arts) exploded because of a lot of influence from France, where Charles was in exile the years previous to his reign.



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25 Feb 2015, 10:04 am

YippySkippy wrote:
British shows cast average-looking people, presumably for their acting skill.
American shows cast people based on looks.


You know..... I think you have a real point, there..... I LOVE that British actors DON'T have straight teeth, for instance. I know that may sound a little silly; but, like..... Another thing is, Dames Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith never got plastic surgery, that I know-of, and I much more appreciate them, than alot of these, so-called, "A-listers", in Hollywood!!

The other thing that was mentioned, that I agree with, is: The British being classically trained (aka Shakespearean Theatre).

Also, I agree with whomever mentioned "Doc Martin", and "Call the Midwife"----I LIVE for "Doc Martin". Also, in that show----"Doc Martin"----the SCENERY can truly be considered a "character", in the show----you don't get anything like that, in the U.S.! !



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26 Feb 2015, 6:47 am

Fnord wrote:
The main difference being that American entertainment is centered on spectacle - explosions, flames, violence, blood, and so forth - while British entertainment seem more centered on the essentials - plot, character development, and being true to genre.

I am more entertained by watching just a single episode of "Doc Martin" or "Call the Midwife!" than an entire season of "Criminal Minds" or "NCIS".


I think one of the reasons is that Hollywood has the money for big budget scenes - explosions, battle scenes with large armies etc, while the European movie makers don't. They don't have the money for spectacle so they need the actors to carry a film.



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26 Feb 2015, 6:56 am

Campin_Cat wrote:
YippySkippy wrote:
British shows cast average-looking people, presumably for their acting skill.
American shows cast people based on looks.


You know..... I think you have a real point, there..... I LOVE that British actors DON'T have straight teeth, for instance. I know that may sound a little silly; but, like..... Another thing is, Dames Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith never got plastic surgery, that I know-of, and I much more appreciate them, than alot of these, so-called, "A-listers", in Hollywood!!


Another thing is that is seems to be fashionable in the US to have unnaturally white teeth, while in Europe people would mock your fake white teeth.



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26 Feb 2015, 8:14 am

When I moved back to the States, watching television was jarring. I'd grown accustomed to normal-looking people in normal-looking houses in normal-looking towns. American television is full of gorgeous, immaculately-dressed people who live in mansions. This is how Hollywood depicts "average" families. Ironically, the few exceptions to this rule ("Roseanne" and "Malcolm in the Middle", for example) have been wildly successful.



Campin_Cat
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27 Feb 2015, 10:50 am

YippySkippy wrote:
When I moved back to the States, watching television was jarring. I'd grown accustomed to normal-looking people in normal-looking houses in normal-looking towns. American television is full of gorgeous, immaculately-dressed people who live in mansions. This is how Hollywood depicts "average" families. Ironically, the few exceptions to this rule ("Roseanne" and "Malcolm in the Middle", for example) have been wildly successful.


Yeah, and I'm thinking that's WHY "Roseanne", for instance, was so popular----because people finally saw "themselves", on TV, and were quite sick of all the other "mess" (i.e, mansions, etc.).



Marky9
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27 Feb 2015, 11:44 am

The sickening state of American television is one of my favorite rants. Thank goodness for the BBC.



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27 Feb 2015, 4:41 pm

British actors may have an edge at the moment where drama is concerned,but I find at least one area that American actors have always excelled is in comedy.The acting in shows like Frasier and The Big Bang Theory is first class.


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