In stark contrast to the previous post (on that rapidly overtaken by events NY Times critique of Zelensky as mere actor out of his depth), below is one of many examples of media-world folk praising the Ukrainian president for his media-management skills, which they attribute in part precisely to his having been a performer before he was a politician. It's that vanishingly rare thing - pro-theatricality in political commentary. However there is still a vein of anti-theatricality submerged in there, in so far as Zelensky is celebrated for his naturalistic performance (Everyman-in-the-streets, giving-you-the-straight-talk), which literally shows up as stagey and staid all the standard modes of political theater (addresses to the nation given from behind presidential desks, windy rhetorical tropes,, flags etc) .
Zelesnky is a good actor in geopolitical and world-historical terms, then, not just because of the justice of his cause, but precisely because he's a good actor, literally. Or rather, his non-dramatic style is more suited to these times (Martin Freeman, say, rather than Lawrence Olivier), you don't notice the acting in the acting.
Behold this Twitter thread started by Jelani Cobb, who asks "I’m curious: what exactly do you think makes this Zelensky video such effective political communication? "
To which there are many replies - below, just a few (in most cases my cut-and-paste has dislodged the tweeter's name, can't be arsed to go looking)
Emily Bell - Influencer 101…direct to camera (the fact it’s filmed selfie-style is hugely effective) , addressing a person not a meeting…it subverts the established image of wartime politicians; bureaucratic , protected, remote, removed from risk
To which Cobb replies
I mean, you could not get farther from the traditional Oval Office or presidential palace address. Literally a man on the street.
Emily Nussbaum - He’s communicated on Insta for years, often via selfies. He has a warm charisma & makes eye contact & even when he says inspiring things, his voice is calm, like ASMR. It’s worth noting that his TV show was about a teacher who went viral when a student released a video of him.
[the eavesdropped video is Zelensky's teacher angrily denouncing corruption to a superior at the school - it leaks out and escalates and the humble teacher becomes President of the Ukraine]
Other thoughts:
Short, declarative sentences; repetition of a verbal formula to reinforce a core theme; well-costumed; non-slick camerawork and lighting reinforce a sense of crisis/urgency
It looks like a rap video. Bunch of dudes looking at the camera saying their names and telling their enemies to come at them.
It's the authenticity of the selfie, the directness of the message refuting Putin, grainy color of the image, the simplicity of the message, and the King Henry V vibe--leading the troops from the frontline instead of sitting in a room, behind a desk, at a table.
Most people don't see what this kind of courage looks like. They see histrionics from folks who aren't actually oppressed all the time.
But Zelensky, who looks mad regular, is like, "pull up then, n—." With Ukrainian Wu Tang Clan around him. Scrappy af. Gotta respect that.
Zelenskyy makes the people screaming at school board meetings & truckers screaming about “rights” look juvenile, unserious & trivial. Yet Zelenskyy, a former actor, has courage that has surprised us all. He took the much harder path, resisted Trump, & is still in Ukraine.
Interesting to see the comparisons to rap videos (and '90s pre-bling videos like Wu Tang - dressed down, grimly serious) - another genre of performance of the real (see Eric Harvey's book on this subject)
And lookee, a direct reference to theatre (the allusion to Henry V - doubtless inspired by Shakespeare rather than reading a history book - the play from which originate famous lines like "Men of few words are the best men", "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more", etc)
Another theatrical reference - histrionics (from histrionicus and histrio, Latin terms for actor)
This last one must be the ultimate pro-theatricality tweet, though:
With his slight build and hangdog look, he's right out central casting. He's the quintessential everyman. He could (literally!) play himself in the movie about his life.
Here's Washington Post's style critic Robin Ghivan discussing the visual and vocal rhetoric of Zelensky's addresses to his people - and the world
"Zelensky seemed to understand that in 2022, when wartime diplomacy is practiced through video calls and social media posts, eloquence lies somewhere between controlled formality and uncontrolled emotion. And so, in only a few days, he has defined himself as singularly responsible for the fate of his country but also as a proud Everyman struggling to defend it. In his public statements, the president is just another citizen trying desperately to do the right thing, to uphold the principles of democracy, to survive...
"When Zelensky addresses his countrymen and the world, his words are straightforward. He’s noticeably plain-spoken. It’s the rhythm of his remarks that’s striking. His rhetoric doesn’t soar, but his sentences have the beats of poetry....
.... He shifts on his feet. He sniffles. These are grace notes of imperfection....
In an ever-expanding series of video missives and addresses in Ukrainian, Zelensky speaks in triptychs, in trios of short, declarative sentences or invigorating fragments. He pounds on a single word to make his point. His phrasing keeps time like a snare drum. Over the days, the tie vanishes. The suit is stripped away. The glow of a rested, well-fed man dulls. The personal trappings of hierarchical authority have been cast aside.
[on the famous video missive] ...Where once his words emphasized the actions of the Ukrainian government, he now simply reassures the country that the government has not vanished; he has not deserted them. It is here. He is here. He says the word nine times, here, here. Again and again. “All of us are here. Our military is here; citizens and society are here,” he announced. And that alone is a kind of triumph. The sky is dark, but he and the government ministers who surround him like a chorus are cast in a golden aura from the surrounding lights. Zelensky is no longer in a suit. He’s in a military drab T-shirt and jacket. The camera angle shifts as he accounts for each man who is present. And the word that Zelensky repeats like an incantation? Here.
.... Zelensky delivers a video address to the European Parliament on March 1... Zelensky wears his now familiar olive drab T-shirt in a video call that is fuzzy and spare and grim. His backdrop looks as gray as a storm cloud. The yellow of the Ukrainian flag over his right shoulder is the only glimmer of light. Zelensky has a scruffy beard, and as he speaks, he raises his arms in a gesture of exasperation. He chops the air with his hands. He doesn’t look disheveled as much as he looks like a man who has shed all the layers of pretense, decorum and diplomatic obtuseness until what remains is an open wound of dire truth. Zelensky’s vulnerability is evident; he’s not struggling to conceal it."
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Solidarity with the People of Ukraine
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