Imagine you were directing 'An Inspector calls'. How would you portray the character of the inspector?

Authors Avatar

Nathan Beck 10c

Imagine you were directing 'An Inspector calls'.  How would you portray the character of the inspector?

In the following essay, I intend to describe the different ways in which I would portray the different mannerisms and characteristics of the inspector from a director’s point of view throughout different parts in the play.  I will look at his effect and how he is affected in different scenarios - such as the contrast between the interrogations of different characters.  I will concentrate on how I would portray his character, his mannerisms, speech, posture, facial and body expression, his attire and how he interacts with the other characters.

        The stage directions would give me as the director a clear idea as to how I should portray the inspector.  As well as continual directions in different situations throughout the play, the most important directions concerning the inspectors general character are given at the point in the play at which he enters the Birlings home.

For example, the directions explain how ‘he need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’.  Basically, his physical size does not matter so much as long as the character is portrayed as a powerful, solid, confident, purposeful person who has a large effect on the audience and the family.   ‘He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period.’  His age is stated, and his attire is also described – this gives me an impression as to how I would dress the character.  Plain and dark clothing represents impersonality, he reveals very little emotion or information about himself.

         His speech is careful and weighty.  He has a ‘disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.’  He does not speak very quickly, he doesn’t make mistakes while speaking, he is a confident talker.  When looking hard at people before talking, this makes them feel like he is scanning them, his mind is constantly  working, as if he can see through their lies.  This also makes the person he is addressing feel uncomfortable, they feel like he can read their thoughts.  I would make sure the actor didn’t do this all the time as it would become tedious, annoying and loose it’s effect.

I would tell the actor to have stern facial expression, yet quite plain and emotionless at the same time.  This way people find it hard to tell what he is thinking.  He would walk with confidence, power and his stance would be broad, upright and large with good posture to help give the impression of power and purposefulness.  I would position the actor in the center of the stage, being the center of attention and when he originally enters the room, I would have the lighting change to a more sharp, sinister shade to give him an immediate impression.  The stage directions help thoroughly as to how I would have the actor speak and move, his personality, mannerisms, eye contact, facial and bodily expression, costume and appearance, his position on stage and the use of lighting.

Join now!

        It is when interrogating Arthur Birling that the audience first sees the inspector in action.  In this part of the play I would want the audience to feel and understand how ‘in-control’ the inspector is.  Everything about him shows his confidence and intolerance of time-wasting.  Birling’s attitude is very impatient and careless, for example when the inspector mentions to Birling the incident of Eva Smith’s death a second time his response is, ‘rather impatiently, Yes, yes.  Horrid business etc,’ he obviously doesn’t really care.  Also, when the inspector asks if he recognizes Eva Smith’s photo Birling carelessly can’t recognize ...

This is a preview of the whole essay