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Title: Mamet should have stuck to writing plays...
Review: Mamet should have stuck to writing plays...he is by most standards a brilliant playwright. But watch his films and you will see stilted performances, bad composition, bad lighting, and just generally bad choices. Read this book, and you will understand why...he may be a great writer, but he has an appalling lack of understanding for the medium of film. He may understand stage acting, but he has no clue when it comes to film performance. Seriously, bad acting cannot be excused in film, because hundreds of takes could be done for any scene. Yet somehow Mamet can take a great actor together with great writing and turn out the weakest performances imaginable...watch his films if you have any doubts. He has no place directing film...he only got to do so because of his genius reputation in the theater...and he has even less justification to write a book telling others how to do so. Final word...not worth the paper it is printed on.
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