In the latest Weekly Standard I have an essay [Update: Fixed the link.***] about acting and stardom and how that has changed in the post-movie-star era. That essay is pegged to the release of three newish books—Watching Them Be, by James Harvey; Robert De Niro: Anatomy of an Actor, by Glenn Kenny; and Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor, by Amy Nicholson—the latter two* of which I would like to lavish a little extra praise on because I didn't have space to do so in my piece.
Kenny and Nicholson's books are the latest in the "Anatomy of an Actor" series from Phaidon Press and Cahiers du Cinema. They're worth picking up for a pair of reasons. The first is the collection of essays featured within; each book is comprised of 10 essays (and innumerable sidebars) nominally dedicated to one role.** Kenny's deep dive on Robert De Niro is particularly impressive, and it's fun to read the actor discuss his craft. It's also fascinating to read costars discuss their work with him; there's a great quote from Jodie Foster about De Niro's helping her understand what acting, as a profession and an art form, is all about. Nicholson's book on Cruise is, in part, an effort to reestablish the movie star's reputation as an actor—to highlight his unique, varied career and to celebrate his taste in scripts. And she makes a good case!
Leave aside the quality of the writing, for a moment. Kenny and Nicholson's books are simply beautiful objects. And that's the second reason to purchase them: Packed with stills and nicely laid out, the Anatomy of an Actor books will look great on any coffee table. They're hefty, weighty tomes. They simply feel substantial, serving as a reminder that a good codex will always trump a hastily downloaded data file.
Anyway, those are a couple of recommendations for you. I realize they're a bit pricey, clocking in at $35 or so on Amazon. But they're totally worth it—especially if you want to send the publishing industry notice that beauty is rewarded by consumers.
*Harvey's book is fine, no disrespect intended. I was just really blown away by the production values of Kenny and Nicholson's.
**Each of the chapters usually touches on several works, giving readers a sense of the ebb and flow of the careers of the subjects. Kenny's book is more heavily weighted to De Niro's earlier roles; as a fan of the actor's (generally underrated) work in the mid-1990s, I was a bit disappointed we didn't get more on, say, Heat, Ronin, or Jackie Brown. Then again, how would one choose which film to drop in order to focus on one of those works? Taxi Driver? The King of Comedy?
***Originally, the link was to a Brooks Brothers page. Why? Well, the famed clothier is ditching its storied traditional cut, at least in stores. Anyway, long story short, I got confused by all the tabs I had open. The lesson, as always, is that I'm an idiot.