Nick:
I enjoyed the acting of all actors in this film. Remember that Ray Mllland and Ruth Hussey play upper middle class British siblings. In the 1940's, in both British and American films, characters that were upper middle class were portrayed somewhat stiffly and arch. Such characters were portrayed as sophisticated and witty, though such a portrayal would be lost on most viewers today, for whom class behavior is a subject never thought or nor approached. Whether such portrayals were accurate reflections of Britsh upper middle class people of the 1940's or not or if you like Ray Milland's and Ruth Hussey's acting, their characters were supposed to be a little stiff and arch. I, personally, find Milland's and Hussey's acting to be engaging, natural (for their characters), and fun. They both made other films in which their dramatic and comedic talents were even better in evidence but "The Uninvited" is a worthy film to showcase the talents of these fine (and greatly unheralded) actors.
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flimflamkid
10 years ago
I agree with you caribeno. At one point even the Grandfather tells Stella that they need to stay away from brother and sister because they are not of the same class. Meaning he and Stella are simple seaside folk while Pam and Rick are a bit more high class city dwellers. :)
I enjoy all the acting during this movie, including dashing Alan Napier.
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PrometheusTree64
10 years ago
Oh I like his performance, it's just a different style. For me it's just as watchable.
Exactly, it's just another style from another time.
And God save us from that contemporary descending-gurgled "naturalism"
a la Kristen Stewart and a zillion others.
--
The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.
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caribeno
10 years ago
Yes, Prometheus:
While actors can use profanity, beat up, and have sex with abandon on film today which actors were not able to do until the late 1960's, the acting styles of actors today don't seem anymore realistic than acting styles of 80 years ago. Good acting transcends time and place. The players in "The Uninvited" were uniformly very good. Let Kristen Stewart or Scarlett Johansen trade quips as Ruth Hussey or Ray Milland did or as Ruth Hussey and Ray Milland did so effortlessly in many of their other films. In fact, watching Ruth Hussey as Elizabeth Imrie is textbook dry comic acting in "The Philadelphia Story".
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liscarkat (18429)
3 years ago
"the acting styles of actors today don't seem anymore realistic than acting styles of 80 years ago"
Yes, so true. Those who dismiss everyone pre-Brando are really depriving themselves of a lot of great performances.
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