Editing Paul Muni (section)

== Acting techniques, reputation and legacy ==
[[Image:Muni Scarface 2.JPG|thumb|300px|Paul Muni in the trailer for ''Scarface'']]
Muni was noted for his intense preparation for his roles, especially the biographies. While preparing for ''The Story of Louis Pasteur'', Muni said, "I read most everything that was in the library, and everything I could lay my hands on that had to do with Pasteur, with [[Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister|Lister]], or with his contemporaries."<ref name="NYT">{{cite news| title=Paul Muni, Actor, Dies on Coast; Won Fame in Biographical Roles; Portrayed Darrow, Pasteur, Zola, Juarez and Gangster in Stage and Film Career| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/26/archives/paul-muni-actor-dies-on-coast-won-fame-in-biographical-roles.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=August 26, 1967|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He did the same in preparing for his role as Henry Drummond, based on Clarence Darrow, in the play ''Inherit the Wind''. He read what he could find, talked to people who knew Darrow personally, and studied physical mannerisms from photographs of him. "To Paul Muni, acting was not just a career, but an obsession", writes ''The New York Times''. They note that despite his enormous success both on Broadway and in films, "he threw himself into each role with a sense of dedication." Playwright [[Arthur Miller]] commented that Muni "was pursued by a fear of failure."<ref name="NYT" />

As Muni was born into an acting family, with both of his parents professional actors, "he learned his craft carefully and thoroughly." On stage, "a Muni whisper could reach the last balcony of any theater", writes the ''Times''. It wrote that his style "had drawn into it the warmth of the Yiddish stage", in which he made his debut at the age of 12. In addition, his technique in using makeup "was a work of art." Combined with acting which followed no "method", he perfected his control of voice and gestures into an acting style that was "unique."<ref name="NYT" />

Film historian [[David Shipman (writer)|David Shipman]] described Muni as "an actor of great integrity",<ref name="Shipman">{{cite book| first=David| last=Shipman| title=The Great Movie Stars: The Golden Years| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yuK0AAAAIAAJ&q=muni| publisher=Crown| year=1970| pages=434, 437| isbn=978-0600338178}}</ref> noting he meticulously prepared for his roles. Muni was widely recognized as eccentric if talented: he objected to anyone wearing red in his presence, and he could often be found between sessions playing his [[violin]]. Over the years, he became increasingly dependent on his wife, Bella, a dependence which increased as his failing eyesight turned to blindness in his final years.<ref name="Shipman" /> Muni was "inflexible on matters of taste and principle", once turning down an $800,000 movie contract because he was not happy with the studio's choice of film roles.<ref name="NYT" />

Although Muni was considered one of the best film actors of the 1930s, some film critics such as [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]]<ref name = "thomson">{{cite book | last = Thomson | first = David | author-link = David Thomson (film critic) | title = [[The New Biographical Dictionary of Film]] | edition = 6th | date = 2014 | publisher = Alfred A. Knopf | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-375-71184-8| page = 739}}</ref> and [[Andrew Sarris]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Art of Falling Apart: Petulia and the Fate of Richard Lester |date=December 14, 2012 |url=http://www.screeningthepast.com/issue-35-first-release/the-art-of-falling-apart-petulia-and-the-fate-of-richard-lester/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> accuse him of overacting. Thomson described Muni as "a crucial negative illustration in any argument as to what constitutes screen acting."<ref name = "thomson"/>

German director [[William Dieterle]], who directed him in his three biopics, also frequently accused him of overacting, despite his respect for the actor.<ref>{{cite book| first=Gerd| last=Gemünden| title=Continental Strangers: German Exile Cinema, 1933–1951| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pF2rAgAAQBAJ&q=muni+dieterle| publisher=McFarland| year=2014| page=60| isbn=978-0231166799}}</ref>