The face of the actor and apply the argument on 2 movie.(Movies are:The Departed (2006),The Queen(2006),Citizen Kane,Sherlock Junior)

The Face of An Actor

Movie acting is visual . The camera is unforgiving . An actor 's facial expressions , as subtle as these may be , convey messages to the audience A smile , a smirk , a cringe , a grin , raise of the eyebrow , wrinkle of the nose and biting of the lip are already considered acting

Barthes commends Greta Garbo for pulling audiences into deep ecstasy with her face . As the title role in Queen Christina , she is always herself , and carries without pretense , under her crown or her white brimmed hats , the same

snowy , solitary face . The essence of the character is preserved and is not degraded with the use of reality . With her face , Garbo presents Queen Christina as intellectual and formal (Barthes 589

Perez points out Buster Keaton 's ability to keep a deadpan face with subtle infections . Playing both the detective and the projectionist in Sherlock , Jr , Keaton relies on his facial expressions to lure the audience into his characters ' `fantasy ' and `reality (Perez 597

These two articles set the foundation and basic principle of subtle acting . Subtle acting combines the blend of neo-realism and theater Every angle of the actor 's face is not wasted . The close-up pans into the characters ' thoughts and emotions and is seen through the characters ' negotiation in silence (Cowles , 8

Most recent movies which utilize subtle acting , pioneered by Garbo and Keaton , are The Queen ' and The Departed

Like Garbo in Queen Christina , Helen Mirren as HM Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen ' keeps a straight face throughout the entire movie Based on actual events , the Queen was perceived as cold and indifferent during the death of Princess Diana . Captured on film , Helen Mirren justifies her actions through her face

Scene after scene , Mirren restricts herself from showing emotions especially in front of the public . She is composed and collected . She rarely smiles . The only time she breaks down in the movie was after seeing the majestic deer in the forest . She sobs uncontrollably but the audience never sees her breakdown . Her back is turned

In The Departed , Leonardo DiCaprio , Jack Nicholson , Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon all wear masks , figuratively speaking . Their cat and mouse game take the audience along for the ride on their good cop and bad cop dilemma

All actors ' facial expressions mask their characters ' agendas with each close-up . For example , Nicholson stern 's face does not give anything away to the other characters , as well as to the audience . Similarly , the twist of who the bad guy is among DiCaprio , Wahlberg and Damon is quite a surprise

Subtle acting requires the actor to effortlessly display the emotion needed for the scene in a limited space . This is reminiscent to what Charlie Chaplin does in his movies . He uses his whole body to get a point through . In subtle acting , the face of the actor is where the lingering message of the characters ' intentions can be found (Erven 40

Works Cited

Barthes , Roland . The Face of Garbo 1957...