British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Bertolt Brecht: Practice Pieces

Synopsis
Brecht wrote the scenes to train actors in his own method for performing classical drama. The scenes were intended to be strenuously rehearsed, but then omitted when the play was presented. The idea was to oblige the actors to embody their characters’ human weakness. Brecht believed that this would undercut any tendency on the part of the actor to adopt a ‘heroic’ interpretation. The human weaknesses betray economic dependency. The video contains scenes from Romeo and Juliet (translated by George Tabori) and Hamlet (translated by Michael Lebeck); Michael Lebeck briefly discusses Brecht’s theatre.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Video
Year of release
1964
Duration
28 mins

Credits

Director
Nick Havinga
Producer
Sig Moglen
Writer
Stephan Chodorov
Contributor
Michael Lebeck
Cast
David Rounds 
Lotte Lenya 
Micki Grant 
Oliver Clark 
Roscoe Lee Browne 
Rudolph Weiss 

Additional Details

Production type
Documentary/Educational/News
Plays
Hamlet; Romeo and Juliet
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
acting techniques; Brecht, Bertolt (1898-1956); Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Production Company

Name

Camera Three Productions

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Creative Arts Television Archive

Email
catarchive@aol.com
Phone
(860) 868-1771
Fax
(860) 868 9999
Address
PO Box 739
Kent
CT 96757
USA

Online Retailer

Name

BuyIndies.com

Email
info@buyindies.com
Web
http://www.buyindies.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone
646-638-4616
Fax
646-638-4618
Address
PO Box 20082
New York
NY 10014
United States of America

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