CRACKED ACTOR

The artist Carter with James Franco in the Roy & Niuta Titus Theater at MOMA, April 5, 2009

Artist and filmmaker Carter presented his latest film, Erased James Franco (2008) at MOMA last night. The 65-minute color film made at Yvon Lambert Paris in July 2008 (Lambert also produced the film) stars the actor James Franco in a solo performance. Erased James Franco reenacts if you will the intellectual antic of Robert Rauschenberg’s legendary 1953 drawing Erased de Kooning. The program notes describe the film as a study of the craft of acting and of the fracturing—and reconstitution—of narrative and identify. In preparing the film, Carter approached Franco (who collects Carter’s work) about reenacting scenes from previous films he’s appeared in but to replay the scenes with restraint. Carter directs Franco to withhold his natural ability to act, persuading the actor to give 10%, 50% max, to each scene so not to delve too deeply into any one character. Truly an actor’s actor, Franco pulls it off with great style and wit. It’s kind of a masterpiece.
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/6406