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Among numerous taboos that are to be admired in series House of Cards, charming is certainly weakness of main character Frank Underwood, to appeal directly to spectator. He regularly looks directly into camera to dedicate ourselves to his motives, plans and strategies. The communing he holds with us makes us a direct accomplice of his intrigues.
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With a different actor than Kevin Spacey, this art grip would hardly have worked. The taboo of spectator addressing demands sovereignty and charisma. Only a performer who has a firm grasp of his audience can thus freely step out of his role-and enter it again. Spacey succeeds in this role, to break cinematic illusion and at same time to draw viewer into spell of a story again and again. The trick works especially well when actor is seen in a big picture – not only because camera loves his face, but because Spacey can establish a closeness that overrides our moral certainties. As close as close-up, we only get to face of anor person while kissing or love.
Spacey’s attraction is bidding. Also in two cinema roles for which he won Oscars, actor has authority to interpret. In usual suspects he pulls out all threads of a complicated conspiracy. In American Beauty, he cunningly commented on what was happening off off. He draws us into trust, and even exposes himself before us – at entrance he shows himself how he masturbates in morning under shower and explains that this is already climax of his day. Watching Kevin Spacey is an intimate experience. He is a master of ambivalence: an actor whom Spectator likes to follow even if he leads him into moral grey areas.
A sudden disenchantment
This spell has been abruptly broken since Kevin Spacey has always faced new accusations that he has sexually harassed and abused young men. The sexual assaults of a producer like Harvey Weinstein are equally shocking. The fact that directors like Alfred Hitchcock or Roman Polanski have not only lived out ir erotic obsessions on screen does not disturb us any less. But to learn such revelations about an actor is still hitting anor nerve. He stands with his body, his voice and his face for figures he embodies.
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In Spacey’s case, men who were in reality unwilling to meet at no price. He was subscribed to fascinating villains. The range of discards he revealed in front of camera ranges from greasy real estate dealers, ruthless Wall Street managers to serial killers. Also Superman against player Lex Luthor, who likes to plunge world into catastrophes, he once played as well as Richard Nixon, who shook self-image of United States sustainably. But camera has brought it so close to us every time that we believed it to look through.
The big misunderstanding
Spacey’s fame was and is not undeserved. He can’t be erased. His career can now be put to an end, but it cannot be reversed. The audience was instrumental in her involvement. In outrage which now triggers his acts of shame, refore, re is also a Gran shame. We did not just let ourselves be deceived and went to glue. He was, at all discarded, also a representative of audience; His characters gave a shape to our fantasies. Now we have to wash ourselves from connection we entered with him. A disenchantment has taken place, which has been so abrupt and rapid that one is dizzy.
The public is quicker than judiciary can do in nature. The ostracism Harvey Eisenstein preceded extensive journalistic research, as well as police investigations, which were discontinued in spite of a seemingly clear evidence from New York district attorney two years ago. About Spacey, a cascade of accusations has broken in, which may be credible. But for time being, public seems to be satisfied with a probability: sexual assaults would be trusted to him. Maybe he meant it seriously when he played such brilliant villains. The engaging presence he bestowed on m now prepares subsequent discomfort. Should an actor not know emotions he represents?
