What Makes Al Pacino's Acting So Great?

What Makes Al Pacino’s Acting So Great?

Or- This could be called Al Pacino’s Acting For Beginners.

If you are a professional actor, you probably know most or all of this. That’s why I say ‘for Beginners’, because beginning actors, or intermediate level, perhaps; may not be fully aware of the comprehensive grouping of elements that actually comprise an acting performance.

Most non-actors, and even acting students or amateurs may have some knowledge of acting preparation, but I believe that only with very intense study or a real working set or theatre does an actor really put all the pieces together, and have a system that works for them. Routinely.

By the time that happens; a dedicated, assiduous, actor is very aware of all that a real acting performance requires. A very good performance, that is.

For a beautiful performance to occur, an actor must be able to, in the least, have some expertise and knowledge of how to do one half of the job, which is one cateogry. And the other half, and actor must be able to have a mastery of, and more.

So, what are these two acting ‘halves’ that I am so cryptically referring to?

What do you think they are? Hint: Many Actors are very good at either one or the other.

Let me know if you have a response or wish to take a guess at what I may be thinking…I will write my answers tonight, a bit later on.

The main acting thing that I want you to know about Al Pacino is…

That he is a rare and unusual actor because he is able to do both sides so very successfully. Both ‘halves of the acting whole’ are more fulfilled, in Al Pacino’s work, especially the earlier stuff…than many actors ever grow to accomplish. Even most longterm professional actors.

And he was able to do so from the very beginning. Of his film career, anyway.

Which is why this completely unknown actor, to film acting that is; was able to do a lead in a very huge movie like The Godfather, and excel so strongly.

Which is also why, if you notice how simple and still the character of Michael Corleone appears, and how much subtext that Pacino manages to portray so very quietly…often in* just his eyes alone*, you can begin to reach a greater understanding of why I am certain that Al Pacino is an actor whose talent, whose work, and whose abilities, deserve some artistic reverence.

(A=Yes, I do know I am not alone in that respect…) (B= No, I didn’t title this clip–that’s what the person who posted it to Youtube named it. Ignore that, please.)