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Responses to Drama: An Introduction to Plays and Movies by Thelma Altshuler and Richard Paul Janaro (review)
- Modern Drama
- University of Toronto Press
- Volume 11, Number 1, Spring 1968
- p. 110
- 10.1353/mdr.1968.0018
- Review
- Additional Information
- Purchase/rental options available:
110 MODERN DRAMA May RESPONSES TO DRAMA.~ An Introduction to Plays and Movies by Thelma Altshuler and Richard Paul Janaro, Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1967, 351 pp. Price $2.95. With theatre space seeking the flexibility of electronic maneuver, the montage ability of film, and the audience mobility of an accident on the street, such conditions present a realistic situation for the authors' eclectic approach to the drama of theatre and film. For such readers "who have given no previous systematic thought to the subject of theatre," the book clearly, concisely. and correctly elucidates drama theory and evaluation by its interesting, informative "responses." The authors expertly present "observations on some of the values current in our society which tend to make certain dramatic forms, certain themes, and certain tyPes of characters more popular than others." These observations, or "responses," interpret definitions of drama; the conventions of scene, tone, character, action, language; the functions of the various media of page, stage, and film; morality and thought; and recognition of valid criticism, to mention a few. For this reviewer, the "Thought in Drama" chapter, because of the clear insight into the life experience which comprise the "meat" of drama, is the apex of the book. The authors' style is quite readable, not breezy, but fresh and light-c:lirect enough to hold attention without noticeable effort. The greatest attraction of the book is its broad use of exemplification, generally serious, seldom humorous, but always pertinent. The reader, consequently, concedes a high level of credibility to the authors. They appear to write as "one having authority" based on direct and extensive experience in drama. Amidst these positive reactions, a question arises: "Are theatre and film such compatible media that they can be discussed simultaneously?" A case in point is the space-time relationships unique to each medium. Tihe unity of time generally found in dramaturgy can be interpreted as the fundamental elimination of ordinary time, and yet the temporal relationships in the theatre have more points of contact with the chronological order of ordinary experience than the order of time in a film. There are analysts who believe that the only real analogy to theatre is the film because of its combination of spatial and temporal forms. Contrariwise, there are others who hold that the film more closely relates to the epic and the novel than to theatre. They reason that the stage has a framework of fixed space, whereas the film is free of temporal restrictions similar to the epic or novel. Most analysts of the media agree that what happens on the stage is partly spatial, partly temporal, but there is never a mixture of the spatial and the temporal, as are the happenings in a film. Corollary to these views a second question arises: "Because the contemporary and the simultaneous reflect the modern temper, does not the space-time aspect of the film correspond best with the spirit of the age? The book's shortcomings result,consequently, from the authors' viewing drama in almost total ,isolation from the strengths and limitations of its two media, the theatre and the film. With film analysis, the authors often seemed to be permitting the luxury of an afterthought. Yet the selections by such film critics as Judith Crist, John Culkin, Pauline Kael, et al., together form an insightful montage of film theories. Finally and most importantly, the basis of the book is sound and for the uninitiated audience for whom it is intended, it is a useful and valuable guide. MARY J. McKEE, Ph.D. Notre Dame College ...