Our task this week was to find a monologue that we feel we can use to showcase all of our acting abilities. I have completed countless amounts of research trying to find a monologue that I was confident and passionate about. Personally, I am a massive fan of dramatic monologues rather than comedic ones because I feel like dramatic monologues take a lot more skill to deliver than any other.
Before even beginning to research for this task I knew that I would like to recite a monologue from a movie rather than a monologue from a play. This is due to the fact that I have never watched a stage show that contains a monologue that makes me feel inspired or emotional. I have watched many monologues from movies which have been powerful enough to bring me to tears.
The first monologue that I thought of when handed this task was Jack Nicholson's monologue in the courtroom scene from the movie "A Few Good Men". This has always been (and will always be) my favourite monologue. I remember first watching this scene and having instant goose bumps. "A Few Good Men" is the story of a US military lawyer who defends two US marines charged with murdering a fellow marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The needle of suspicion, thus, points to a colonel (Jack Nicholson). I was massively considering learning this monologue but second guessed myself. As much as I adore this piece, I feel as though no one could live up to the standard of this speech unless you were Nicholson himself. Don't get me wrong, I have every faith in myself but I wouldn't even try to recreate this monologue as I feel it should remain untouched and perfect, as it is.
The next monologue that attracted me was Sally Fields' monologue from the movie "Steel Magnolias". 'Steel Magnolias' is the story of M'Lynn who is afraid that she might lose her daughter in childbirth. So, she turns to her girlfriends for strength, support and to celebrate the miracle of life. The monologue which I loved is the one delivered by M'Lynn at her daughter's funeral. It is the most emotional I have felt when ever watching a monologue which is why I think the acting by Sally Field is genius because you feel as though you are in the moment with her and feel her pain. However, I didn't want to perform this monologue as I felt I could not make it my own because of how good Field's interpretation was. Simply, I could not imagine the monologue being performed in any other way.
There were many other monologues that I looked into and researched but none that I had any initial excitement about. I thought I had hit the jackpot when I stumbled upon a monologue from the movie Erin Brockovich which is about an unemployed single mother who becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply. Julia Roberts plays a very strong female lead in this movie which was reflected in her monologue. This really intrigued me and instantly made me think of a film that I had watched a while back which is named "The Accused". I remembered a monologue from this movie and instantly made the decision to research into that.
The Accused
'The Accused' is the story of a young woman named Sarah who is brutally gang raped in a bar. She and a district attorney named Kathryn do all they can to prosecute the rapists and the people who encouraged the men. While it seems a straightforward enough case, there are some complicating issues involving the character and intent of the victim herself and also the culpability amongst those who witnessed the crime and did nothing to stop it. Badly beaten and traumatized, she ends up in the DA's office facing attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) who listens and takes the case. But as Murphy learns more about Sarah, she becomes less pleased, for Sarah has a long, colourful past of drugs, booze and casual acquaintances that the defence can easily use to destroy her character.
I think choosing a monologue from this movie is a very wise decision because 'The Accused' is based on a true story, so the monologue I have chosen will be based on the true words that have previously been said.
As you can see, this monologue is very hard hitting and you can tell that Kathryn Murphy has a very powerful way with words. Her monologue speaks for itself and gets straight to the point which was very controversial with many critics as well as viewers. Personally, I have only ever performed one other monologue with this much power and influence which was discussing the importance of the Grenfell Tower atrocity. When preparing for this monologue I loved the challenge of getting into this kind of strong mindset because it was a massive challenge if you were not there to experience how the person is feeling. I watched many previous performances of the monologue from 'The Accused' and didn't find one that I felt done the monologue justice. When I watched the original actress (Kelly McGillis) perform this monologue I was very impressed and found it extremely impactful. I knew in an instant that this was the monologue that I was going to challenge myself with.
'The Accused' is a film that highlights themes such as; Classism, PTSD, Misogyny, Victim Blaming and Slut shaming. Deputy district attorney Kathryn Murphy is assigned to the rape case. Her superior instructs her to offer a plea bargain to the defendants that requires some jail time. They plead guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and are sentenced to prison. Sarah is enraged by the deal, as there is no acknowledgment that the men raped her. Throughout the film Sarah is said to be the one to blame for the rape due to her past behaviour in pubs and clubs as well as substance abuse and other things like the clothes she was wearing or the way she was dancing.
Murphy is a middle class character. This movie is set in the 80's in America. Clearly, Murphy is a very clever woman who is willing to use her voice to fight for what is right. I would imagine that she had a very good education to get to where she is career wise. In the 80's, a career in law was very much a male dominated career. Kathryn would have been of a minority being a woman which does not seem to bother her as she is a strong wiled and outspoken character. I assume that she has a very padded life with support off her parents throughout which not many people can say they have.
How does this monologue show off my acting abilities?
When it comes to acting I would say that I am talented vocally. I read this monologue and studied every word carefully thinking of my pitch, tone, pace etc. A trick that my drama teacher taught me in secondary school when we studied monologues was to relate to the character as much as possible by researching into them in as much depth as you can. She would then tell us to sit in front of the mirror whenever we had any time on our hands and recite the monologue over and over again, making sure we pay as much attention to ourselves vocally and physically as possible until we could see that character inside of us. Now this may sound weird, but this is how I prepare for any role given to me. The way that this monologue is set out tells us the writer's intentions with it due to it's punctuation. I can grasp and idea of what Tom Topor was envisioning when writing the monologue whilst still making it my own. This is the reason I chose this monologue and why I believe it shows off my acting abilities.
Firstly, I would say that she would have her hair up in a bun or ponytail. This is because I would
imagine that her career is very male dominated and that is what the boss would say she has to do because he would not want her to be worrying what she looks like or restricted if her hair was down as he wants her to focus on her work rather than her hair. Despite this, he would still want her to look professional and presentable. Personally, I think that if a workplace was male dominated and men had to make the dress code for women this would be the generic hairstyle they would go for. I would imagine that the bun would be slightly messy to represent the messy case of Sarah Tobias.
In my opinion, I think that Kathryn would wear dark-ish eye makeup because even though she could not have full reign with her hair, she would still like to wear some makeup. I would have he wear dark mascara and a little bit of kohl eyeliner to represent the dark and mysterious nature of her job. She would also wear a subtle nude lip so that she would not look too glam for work as she must still be professional.
In terms of clothing, I would most definitely have Kathryn wearing a mini dress because the film is largely about blaming the victim and at one point the victim is blamed for the rape because she was wearing revealing clothes. By wearing a mini dress, Kathryn subtly shows that even though a mini dress is seen as provocative, she is not judged for her choice of wearing one and looks professional none the less. Over her mini dress Murphy would wear an oversized boxy blazer because she still wants to look professional and be taken seriously despite wearing a short dress. Footwear wise, her character would wear a short pair of heels or a pair of flat sensible shoes because Kathryn would be on her feet for a lot of the day so would need to be comfortable whilst also looking put together. In terms of accessories I would say that Kathryn would wear a small pair of hoop earrings and maybe a small necklace to show that she treasures nice things and can afford to treat herself.
 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk |
 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZx1W6cHw-g |
The next monologue that attracted me was Sally Fields' monologue from the movie "Steel Magnolias". 'Steel Magnolias' is the story of M'Lynn who is afraid that she might lose her daughter in childbirth. So, she turns to her girlfriends for strength, support and to celebrate the miracle of life. The monologue which I loved is the one delivered by M'Lynn at her daughter's funeral. It is the most emotional I have felt when ever watching a monologue which is why I think the acting by Sally Field is genius because you feel as though you are in the moment with her and feel her pain. However, I didn't want to perform this monologue as I felt I could not make it my own because of how good Field's interpretation was. Simply, I could not imagine the monologue being performed in any other way.
 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGX4nMrnxg0 |
The Accused
Basic Plotline
I think choosing a monologue from this movie is a very wise decision because 'The Accused' is based on a true story, so the monologue I have chosen will be based on the true words that have previously been said.
The Monologue
Written by Tom Topor
Kathryn Murphy: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paulson has told you that the testimony of Sarah Tobias is nothing. Sarah Tobias was raped, but that is nothing. She was cut and bruised and terrorized but that is nothing. All of it happened in front of a howling crowd and that is nothing. Well, it may be nothing to Mr. Paulson but it is not nothing to Sarah Tobias and I don't believe it is nothing to you. Next Mr. Paulson tried to convince you that Kenneth Joyce was the only person in that room who knew that Sarah Tobias was being raped. The only one... Now you watched Kenneth Joyce. How did he strike you? Did he seem especially sensitive, especially observant? Did he seem so remarkable that you immediately said to yourselves, "Of Course! This man would notice things other people wouldn't!" Do you believe that Kenneth Joyce saw something those three men didn't see? In all the time that Sarah Tobias was being held down on that pinball machine the others didn't know? Kenneth Joyce confessed to you that he watched a rape and did nothing! He told you that everyone in that bar behaved badly...he was right. But no matter how immoral it may be it is not the crime of criminal solicitation to walk away from a rape, it is not the crime of criminal solicitation to silently watch a rape …but it is the crime of criminal solicitation to induce or entreat or encourage or persuade another person to commit a rape - "Hold her down! Stick it to her! Make her moan..." These three men did worse than nothing. They cheered and they clapped and they rooted the others on, made sure that Sarah Tobias was raped and raped and raped... Now tell me... Is that nothing?
As you can see, this monologue is very hard hitting and you can tell that Kathryn Murphy has a very powerful way with words. Her monologue speaks for itself and gets straight to the point which was very controversial with many critics as well as viewers. Personally, I have only ever performed one other monologue with this much power and influence which was discussing the importance of the Grenfell Tower atrocity. When preparing for this monologue I loved the challenge of getting into this kind of strong mindset because it was a massive challenge if you were not there to experience how the person is feeling. I watched many previous performances of the monologue from 'The Accused' and didn't find one that I felt done the monologue justice. When I watched the original actress (Kelly McGillis) perform this monologue I was very impressed and found it extremely impactful. I knew in an instant that this was the monologue that I was going to challenge myself with.
'The Accused' is a film that highlights themes such as; Classism, PTSD, Misogyny, Victim Blaming and Slut shaming. Deputy district attorney Kathryn Murphy is assigned to the rape case. Her superior instructs her to offer a plea bargain to the defendants that requires some jail time. They plead guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and are sentenced to prison. Sarah is enraged by the deal, as there is no acknowledgment that the men raped her. Throughout the film Sarah is said to be the one to blame for the rape due to her past behaviour in pubs and clubs as well as substance abuse and other things like the clothes she was wearing or the way she was dancing.
Murphy is a middle class character. This movie is set in the 80's in America. Clearly, Murphy is a very clever woman who is willing to use her voice to fight for what is right. I would imagine that she had a very good education to get to where she is career wise. In the 80's, a career in law was very much a male dominated career. Kathryn would have been of a minority being a woman which does not seem to bother her as she is a strong wiled and outspoken character. I assume that she has a very padded life with support off her parents throughout which not many people can say they have.
How does this monologue show off my acting abilities?
When it comes to acting I would say that I am talented vocally. I read this monologue and studied every word carefully thinking of my pitch, tone, pace etc. A trick that my drama teacher taught me in secondary school when we studied monologues was to relate to the character as much as possible by researching into them in as much depth as you can. She would then tell us to sit in front of the mirror whenever we had any time on our hands and recite the monologue over and over again, making sure we pay as much attention to ourselves vocally and physically as possible until we could see that character inside of us. Now this may sound weird, but this is how I prepare for any role given to me. The way that this monologue is set out tells us the writer's intentions with it due to it's punctuation. I can grasp and idea of what Tom Topor was envisioning when writing the monologue whilst still making it my own. This is the reason I chose this monologue and why I believe it shows off my acting abilities.
Costume
Firstly, I would say that she would have her hair up in a bun or ponytail. This is because I would
imagine that her career is very male dominated and that is what the boss would say she has to do because he would not want her to be worrying what she looks like or restricted if her hair was down as he wants her to focus on her work rather than her hair. Despite this, he would still want her to look professional and presentable. Personally, I think that if a workplace was male dominated and men had to make the dress code for women this would be the generic hairstyle they would go for. I would imagine that the bun would be slightly messy to represent the messy case of Sarah Tobias.
In my opinion, I think that Kathryn would wear dark-ish eye makeup because even though she could not have full reign with her hair, she would still like to wear some makeup. I would have he wear dark mascara and a little bit of kohl eyeliner to represent the dark and mysterious nature of her job. She would also wear a subtle nude lip so that she would not look too glam for work as she must still be professional.In terms of clothing, I would most definitely have Kathryn wearing a mini dress because the film is largely about blaming the victim and at one point the victim is blamed for the rape because she was wearing revealing clothes. By wearing a mini dress, Kathryn subtly shows that even though a mini dress is seen as provocative, she is not judged for her choice of wearing one and looks professional none the less. Over her mini dress Murphy would wear an oversized boxy blazer because she still wants to look professional and be taken seriously despite wearing a short dress. Footwear wise, her character would wear a short pair of heels or a pair of flat sensible shoes because Kathryn would be on her feet for a lot of the day so would need to be comfortable whilst also looking put together. In terms of accessories I would say that Kathryn would wear a small pair of hoop earrings and maybe a small necklace to show that she treasures nice things and can afford to treat herself.
After looking into this monologue and movie I cannot wait to showcase what I can do with this character and look forward to challenging myself further.
Comments
Post a Comment