Sanford Meisner Master Class
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DVD Cover Information
Brand: Sanford Meisner EstatePrimary Contributor: Sanford Meisner
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Running Time: 461 unknown-units
Published: 2006
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sanford Meisner Estate
Product features:
- 8 HOURS OF INSTRUCTION ON TWO DVD'S
Movie Reviews of Sanford Meisner Master Class
Movie Review: Review from The Mirror Up To Nature by Tee Quillin
Summary: 5 Stars
[...]
My Advice: Go buy it right now.
"Acting is the ability to live truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances." - Sanford Meisner
The name Sanford Meisner has become iconic in the world of Acting. He co-founded the Group Theatre in 1931 along with other theatrical heavyweights as Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. The Group Theatre was established, in part, to bring the teachings of Stanislavsky's "Method" of Acting Training to America. Not long after the Group was founded, Meisner branched off and began work on his own acting technique and history was made. His list of celebrity alumni reads like a Who's Who of Hollywood. Thankfully, in 1980, a group of his alumni got together to record his teachings for posterity. They simply could not allow Mr. Meisner to pass away without capturing his method and teaching style on video.
This DVD represents the first time this video recording has been made available to the general public. It consists of nearly 8 hours of training with Meisner and a small group of students in one of his classes across two DVDs and it is nothing short of magic. The viewer should be aware however, that the audio and video quality is not up to today's standards. To make matters worse, Mr. Meisner himself is shown here after having gone through three surgeries to circumvent cancer and after having to re-teach himself how to speak. The beauty of this is that he becomes a living representation of one of his own maxims: "An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." Still, without the provided subtitles, he would be nearly unintelligible on this recording. Adapting your ears to Mr. Meisner does not take long and you quickly understand that it's well worth the effort. In order to facilitate this training for the viewer, the original recording of 1980 contains commentary with Martin Barter (Artistic Director of the Meisner Center and acting instructor). Anywhere its needed, Mr. Barter interjects his comments and explanations of Mr. Meisner's theories and exercises. This commentary is invaluable.
There are no "special features" on this two disc set. Normally, that would be a huge sticking point for me. I'm a sucker for good bonus material on DVDs. However, on this set, not one ounce of the space of the DVDs is wasted. The primary content is all that matters in this set. The mere fact that these lessons have been captured are paramount to any other material that could have been added. Really, what bonus material would be worthy of this DVD? Interviews with some of his alumni would be pointless (and just cost money) because the video of the training literally speaks for itself. Any other information about the Sanford Meisner Center can be found by visiting the website which is listed on the outside of the DVD case. All it takes is a bit of effort to type the address into your web browser. They didn't even waste time providing you with a scene access menu. There is one item on the main menu page of each disc and that's to start the video. You do have the ability to track through the chapters of the disc, which is good given that most people probably won't have time to sit down and watch all 8 hours (or even in two 4 hour chunks) at once!
Anyone pursuing acting training should own this DVD and watch it often. The DVD will never replace acting training in a studio with an instructor and scene partners, but by observing, a serious actor will be able to see these "traps" that are always lurking in their path towards mastery of their craft. After all, one can not overcome those traps without first being aware of them.
Summary of Sanford Meisner Master Class
A comprehensive Master Class in acting taught by Sanford Meisner, this 8 hour instructional DVD set is the only existing video record of Meisner's teaching. Essential viewing for film, TV and theater actors and directors, these DVDs also offer artists of all disciplines the opportunity to learn directly from a master who is now considered one of the most important acting theorists and teachers of the twentieth century. In 1980, a group of Meisner's alumni recognized the importance of preserving his teachings for future generations. They banded together and filmed a Master Class with Sandy, short clips of which were used in the 1984 PBS special Sanford Meisner: Theatre's Best Kept Secret. Until now, the rest of the 28 hours of footage remained archived and unavailable. This DVD-set finally makes the footage from this class available to the general public; for the first time since his death in 1997, students can experience the Meisner Technique as taught by Meisner himself. A leading acting teacher who trained some of the most famous performers of the stage and screen, Sanford Meisner redefined Stanislavski's "Method" and revolutionized acting with his Meisner Technique. In 1931, a fervent group of young actors, including Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg established the Group Theatre and brought Stanislavsky's Method acting to America. In 1933, Meisner became disenchanted with pure Method acting. From that point until his death in 1997, at age 91, Meisner developed his own technique. Meisner was an instructor and head of the acting department at the Neighborhood Playhouse for forty-eight years. For Meisner, acting was about reproducing honest emotional human reactions. The best acting, he believed, was made up of spontaneous responses to the actor's immediate surroundings. Sanford Meisner taught techniques to emphasize truthfulness and authenticity in art that resonate more strongly today than ever.Similar DVD Movies
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