Acting in the process of creating the Bulgarian feature film is still a poorly studied problem.
The scientific novelty of such a research would consist in the systematic study of actor’s art in cinema between the two world wars from a contemporary point of view, outlining the main processes, problems and trends.
One of the focuses would be the attempt to professionalize the acting art in the field of cinema during the period. In this case, the issue of acting schools, which are often created on foreign models – Germany, France, Russia, etc., is extremely important, as in the 20s attempts were made to establish several acting schools for film actors such as “Diana”, “Luna” (Moon), outside the theatre (eg Bulgarian Drama School of K. Sagaev, 1921; Drama School of N.O. Masalitinov at the National Theatre, 1925, etc.).
Other important points that need to be addressed are the problems of translation from one language – theatrical, to another – cinematographic, as most professional and semi-professional actors worked in both theatre and cinema were amateurs. The analysis of the verbal (textual) and non-verbal codes, psychological gestures, physical actions is also important. The presence of the actor in the screen space – exterior, interior, scenery / scenography, compared to the theatre, was a novelty for the time and posed a number of challenges for artists to solve.
In this direction, in relation to the actor, is the problem of the continuity of the play in the theatrical performance and the montage principle in cinema. The actor-director relationship is also an inevitable issue in this case, as many filmmakers at the time were actors. For comparison – the first professional directors in Bulgaria appeared in the theatre during the period between the two world wars.
According to the existing research from 1920 to 1940 there were about 50 Bulgarian feature films (Petar Kardzhilov “Bulgarian feature films. Annotated, illustrated filmography” 1987, vol. 1, pp. 74-194). They differ in genre and “star” actor’s presence. There were original screenplays, dramatizations of literary works or adaptations of theatrical performances.
As these interdisciplinary problems in Bulgarian art history, as already pointed out, are poorly studied, the research of acting in cinema between the two world wars would inevitably rely on the investigation of source materials: interviews, articles, memoirs, archives. etc.
The aesthetic, psychological, socio-cultural and political aspects of the dynamics of the interaction of the actor-creator with society should be considered, which determine the stages in the development of acting in cinema, specific methods of work, role approach, work with the director, the public perception of the images, the formation of the actor's screen image, innovation, etc. in the context of the overall cultural development in Europe and in the complex political and socio-cultural situation in Bulgaria between the two world wars.
The relevance of the research could be sought in the need to rethink from a contemporary point of view the accumulated over the years ideas, stereotypes, clichés about the development of acting in Bulgaria and would expand the field of historical study of Bulgarian cinema, including acting, in the context of the formation of the social significance of film culture in the period between the two world wars.
