Scene4 Magazine | letters to the editor

I went on over to Cafe Press and looked Ray Charles Istre up and followed the trail. Skipping around in his list of news articles opened my eyes some more. Being one that avoids news like an ostrich with my head in the sand trying to stay in a false sense of peace, that was a trip. I feel this book of his is timely. The facade of beautiful people, perfect lives, etc., etc., needs to be peeled away and the reality revealed. So what if Jesus was not beautiful on the outside, he was where it counted. Just as so many of the cast-aside people of this world are. Bravo to you Ray Charles Istre! I wish you well with your book! Bravo to you Les for once again bringing two very interesting people to us to keep us thinking and learning.
Michele
read Les Marcott's article

This should have been titled "Fakes, Forgeries and The American Way". It's a very funny and sad article except for the slander of my hero, Howdy Doody.
Burnett
read Arthur Meiselman's article

And you can add these:
The "virtual" French in France who don't speak French
The "virtual" English in England who don't speak English
The Americans in Iraq who don't speak Iraqi
The Iraqis in America who don't speak Iraqi
The Japanese in Japan who don't speak
and, My Sister's "virtual" boyfriend
T. Rutten

...........Who was it who said that the U.S. dollar was the best example of Faux Art? I think I did.
Reverend Bones

...........I was surprised to hear that anyone was still painting pictures anymore. How faux is that?
Mave

...........The "virtual" breasts, lips, hips, asses and soon penises of everyone over 12 yrs.
T.

...........Seek and ye shall find in the revealed word of God.
Mark W.

...........I don't understand some of your references but they must be real because I understand the rest. Now you've given me a lot to think about and that's the worst "madness" of all.
Michele

...........Bravo! Tour de force! So what are you going to do for an encore rename the planets? Start with Uranus and work up.
Everlast

...........I don't understand your putdown of Bill Gates and his mother. They do wonderful work. That is the history of rich people in the USA.
Barbara Seligman

...........You should ask this--will the real Leonardo DiCaprio,George Clooney and Angelina Jolie's lips please stand up!
T.
read Arthur Meiselman's article

You can add Kid Rock's Rock and Roll Jesus, the website Hollywood Jesus, and the film Wrong Eyed Jesus. All the same a very interesting article. If life were fair, Ugly Jesus would be a best seller and Scene4 would be on news stands and magazine racks everywhere.
T.J. McIntosh
read Les Marcott's article

I've always admired the traditions and achievements of Greek cinema and when I was in film school in NY I remember S. Kapsaskis' films and enjoyed them very much. It's too bad he made so few. This is a long overdue tribute to his work and to an illustrious father.
Everett
read Andrea Kapsaski's article

It seems to me that actors in movies spoke a lot better years ago than those today. I suppose in the "Golden Age" of talkies during the big studio system, there was a lot of training including in speech. Then along came the mumble guys and you're so right - the difference between English and American actors is like the difference between people who can sing songs and the ones who can only scream and shout.
Melanie Spyren
read Lia Beachy's article

Actually, Ray Istre comes late to the notion of a less-than-photogenic Jesus. The BBC did a piece five years or so ago wherein they reconstructed a possible Jesus from many different visual sources and came up with a short, solid, swarthy man. It raised much uproar about the "proper" way to depict Jesus -- offenses and umbrage were taken. Take a look yourself: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1243339.stm
Michael Bettencourt
read Les Marcott's article

I agree entirely. A recent poll named Marlon Brando as the greatest ever movie actor, yet I could barely understand a word the man said in any of his movies! Nowadays it is mainly American movies and TV series with which I have issues, though I have experienced similar problems with British shows, including theatre performances. There seems to be a tendency for many actors (and, presumably, their directors) to think that in order to maintain "pace" the lines have to be delivered at high speed. The resultant cacophony of mangled vowels and stifled consonants is not pleasant on the ears of the audience, who are left baffled as to what is being said (or should I say "mumbled"). "Pace" is about picking up cues (with due consideration of the demands and effects of the dramatic pause) and keeping the action moving, but not at the expense of presenting the dialogue in an understandable form of the language. It is perhaps indicative of the times in which we live, that in our regular lives we perceive that no-one has the time to listen to what we are saying, as we anticipate (and are all too often vindicated in that anticipation) that we will be interrupted before we reach the end of our sentence if we take so much as half a beat to grab a breath. Is it any wonder, then, that people gabble their words in order to circumvent the premature termination of their sentence by the expected rude interruption? The gabbling actor will simply claim that he is being "true to life" in his high-speed delivery of the lines. How many excellent writers, having agonised over their choice of words, and crafted their works with great skill and wit, are then sold short by this slovenly speech pattern which defies comprehension? Actors are supposed to be the interpreters of a story, and we need that story told with understandable dialogue as well as meaningful action.
Geoff Goble
read Lia Beachy's article

A fine and fitting tribute to a life well lived. Thanks Andrea.
Les Marcott
read Andrea Kapsaski's article

Thanks for this fine look at this fine actor. He's what theater is all about.
J.J.
read Carole Levine's article

What do you mean no stinking badges? And I was all ready to go get a fake mustache, cause I can make those facial expressions...even tho I'm a GIRL, I figure I could be one of the MOST WAYWARD of Western Sons of Warren Oates..really Les, no girls in your club? You really think you could get away with that in today's world? I bet you are REALLY glad you decided against it now! I could fake tamborine playing in a band if ....if I drank enough.
I enjoyed the article Les, Warren Oates was one sexy dude.
Michele
read Les Marcott's article