Bøger af Robert Blumenfeld

The Count of Sainte-Hélène: A Balzacian Melodrama takes place in 1817-1818 in Paris, during the Bourbon Restoration when Louis XVIII had been placed on the throne of France at the decree of the Congress of Vienna after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. This play is based on one of the most sensational cases solved by the first great detective in history, Eugène-François Vidocq, the ex-convict who became head of the French Sûreté (the Security Service of the French police). An altogether extraordinary individual, he was an acquaintance of Victor Hugo, who based both Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in Les Misérables on Vidocq; and a friend of Balzac, whose character Vautrin is even more closely inspired by and modeled on Vidocq than Hugo's characters are. Interludes of the Hear: A Play about Marcel Proust, his life and loves, was inspired by my love for that author's most famous book, In Search of Lost Time. The play goes back and forth in time, as the Student interviews Céleste Albaret, Proust's housekeeper and general factotum, for his doctoral dissertation. When I read the book, I felt it was as if he were talking directly to me. I am sure many readers have had the same experience. Proust's penetrating picture of the society of his day in pre-World War One France, and of Paris during the war itself, and his amazing, psychologically insightful portrait of each of his characters, his understanding of psychology that in some ways parallels that of Sigmund Freud, makes his book still relevant in today's world.

The Count of Sainte-Hélène, or The Lure of Infamy is a historical novel full of intrigue, mystery, romance, and colorful characters that begins in the year 1816. Napoleon has been defeated and the Bourbons restored to the throne of France. The Count of Sainte-Hélène, an intimate friend of the king, is Lieutenant-Colonel of the Legion of the Seine, the regiment charged with the security of Paris and the royal family. When the capital is rocked by a series of spectacular burglaries targeting the homes of the aristocracy, the brilliant ex-convict-turned-detective Vidocq, chief of the Police Security Brigade, is unable to solve the crimes. But a series of events leads him to suspect that Saint-Hélène himself is somehow involved. In accusing such a highly placed aristocrat, Vidocq may have made the biggest blunder of his career...

A must for actors, writers, and directors! All the Tricks of the Trade: Everything You Need to Know about Comedy is an indispensable handbook and practical performance manual, which lives up to its title. It provides a detailed guide to performing all genres of all periods, from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century, including comedy of manners, farce, the comic film, and the television sitcom. It gives actors, directors and writers all the details of how to create comedic characters using the Stanislavsky system. Actors and directors will constantly consult chapter 1, with its compendium of all the comedic tools and techniques (how to tell jokes, the different takes, deadpan, double-talk, etc.), and its summary of lazzi and physical comedy techniques (different kinds of falls, dealing with props, faked injuries, and so forth). The section in the Introduction to part 2 on the age-old comedy plots is an invaluable resource for writers as well as for actors and directors. The Introduction to part 4 (Comedy on Camera) includes a complete guide to working on camera. And chapter 14, with its tips and lessons from the great film and television comedians, is a concise summary of how they created memorable laughs. For easy reference, and as a guide to further reading, there are three appendixes: first, an annotated list of the major European and American comedy writers of all eras; second an annotated list of major comedy film directors; and third, a glossary of comedy terms.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR CHARACTER INTERPRETATION HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY FOR ACTORS

ACTING WITH THE VOICE

ACCENTS A MANUAL FOR ACTING AUDIO ONLINE REVISED EDITION

TEACH YOURSELF ACCENTS: EUROPE A HANDBOOK FOR YOUNG ACTORS AND SPEAKERS