One thing about having a short attention span is that occasionally the
oddiments I do pick up come to some kind of focus.
 
In particular today: Mike Bailey's post re: Altman's insisting that
his players in McCABE take on their roles even off-screen reminded
me of living history reenactors who get together at various types of
encampments where they often take on a historical personna which they
play out in first person, that is, they attempt to reenact a particular
person, or at least a class of people.  They take this task very
seriously; "out of period" representations are discouraged.
 
What is happening at these encampments is similar to the apocryuphal tale
of Von Stroheim insisting the extras in a 'twenties extraganza set in
the Viennese court be costumed in silk undergarments.  The reenactors, some
reenactors make the same demand; others settle for outerwear verisimilitude.
 
Does this have anything to do with REAL PEOPLE?  I don't know; that's why
I'm sending these thoughts directly to you rather than engage with the
folks who would otherwise read them on H-FILM or SCREEN-L.
 
cal
 
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Cal Pryluck, Radio-Television-Film, Temple University, Philadelphia
<[log in to unmask]>  <PRYLUCK@TEMPLEVM>