The Swan Song

I saw this short when I was in college for a theater class, and I've never forgotten. It is very simply a filmed version of Chekhov's Swan Song play, featuring two men, one of them a recently retired veteran stage actor, and the other the Theater Prompter played by none other than Michael Dunn, known for playing Dr. Loveless on the old Wild Wild West show. (A theater prompter had the thankless job of standing in a hole below the stage, and prompting the actors if they forgot their lines).

The entire 22 minute short involves the Theater Prompter listening to the retired actor talk about his lifelong experience as an actor in the theater. That's it. There are no explosions, gun battles, car chases, nudity, sex, stabbings, beheadings, or a single chain saw. In other words, absolutely nothing for today's American audiences.

However, if you are a throwback of nature who actually cares about believable acting and human emotion, this is a must-see if you can find it. The older actor does a superb job playing a retired actor whose real emotions fight through his natural dramatic personality, and Michael Dunn holds his own as a down-on-his luck theater prompter who knows every word of every play ever written by heart, but who will never get the chance to act onstage.

I remember this short piece vividly, long after forgetting hundreds of other films, and that is the highest recommendation I can give it.

It's both a shame and a crime that it hasn't been seen by everyone who cares about real acting or even reviewed, until now. I hope whoever reads this will seek it out and watch it; both actors are long dead, but the emotions they play out are timeless; and will stay with you for life.