Who said [paraphrase] "The purpose of technique is to free talent?"

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 27 Jul 2004 15:58 PDT

mbhorwitz --

Strikingly similar language was recently used in an interview without
attribution to anyone else by someone with a varied career and some
prominence in both theater and television.  Do have reason to believe
that your quote is older than a few weeks?

markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by mbhorwitz-ga on 27 Jul 2004 17:07 PDT

I heard someone I think attribute the quote to Strasburg or
Stanslavski on TV being interviewed on the phone in reference to
Marlon Brando's death.  The show may have been on MSNBC or CNN.  It
was an actor or critic being interviewed I believe, but I am not
certain, nor am I certain who the interviewee was.

mbhorwitz --

Thanks for your comment. In order to close the question and make my
answer "official," I will simply repost it here in a slightly edited
form.  As I said in my comment, I believe that Mr. Lipton is clear in
this interview that he is paraphrasing, if not quoting, Stanislavsky.

In a print interview in the Hollywood Reporter with James Lipton, the
host of Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio," cited Stanislavsky, as
follows:

"He [Brando] gave us a new way of thinking about the craft of acting.
He codified what great actors did when they were acting really well.
Stanislavsky said you cannot teach talent. Talent is what God, if you
are a believer -- or genes, if you are humanist -- bestows upon the
artist. That's what you bring to the table. Then (you learn) your
technique. The purpose of technique is to free the talent."
Hollywood Reporter: Lipton recalls 'best we ever had'(July 6, 2004)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000562790

Here is a link to some information on Lipton:

Bravo TV: Inside the Actors Studio
http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/bios/James_Lipton.html

Search Strategy:

I found the information by using the following Google searches:

actor OR acting "purpose of technique"
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=actor+OR+acting+%22purpose+of+technique%22

"james lipton"
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22james+lipton%22


Thanks again for your clarification, and I am happy that the
information suits your purposes.



markj-ga

mbhorwitz --

Thanks for the clarification.  It sounds like my source is not the one
you are looking for.  It is a print interview in the Hollywood
Reporter with James Lipton, the host of Bravo's "Inside the Actor's
Studio."  On my second reading, though, it does seem like Lipton is
paraphrasing Stanislavsky. Here is the quote:

"He [Brando] gave us a new way of thinking about the craft of acting.
He codified what great actors did when they were acting really well.
Stanislavsky said you cannot teach talent. Talent is what God, if you
are a believer -- or genes, if you are humanist -- bestows upon the
artist. That's what you bring to the table. Then (you learn) your
technique. The purpose of technique is to free the talent."
Hollywood Reporter: Lipton recalls 'best we ever had'(July 6, 2004)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000562790

Here is a link to some information on Lipton:

Bravo TV: Inside the Actors Studio
http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/bios/James_Lipton.html


It is entirely possible that Lipton used the same language either on
his own TV show or on another network.


Of course, if this information turns out to be a satisfactory response
to your question, let me know, and I would be happy to post it as an
answer.


markj-ga

This sounds like what I heard on the TV interview, so I am satisfied
that you have found a source that I can cite.  I am a contributing
writer to Financial Planning magazine (Thomson Media) finishing my
piece for the September issue.  Thank you very much.