Full Version: Buster Keaton
We don't really have a thread for Buster Keaton yet, though a few posts in stef's Silents of Summer 2004 thread do touch on the guy. Anyway, this is just a heads-up regarding a fun essay on Keaton that was recently posted to the Mark Steyn website. Below it, on the same page, are similar essays on Robert Mitchum & Jimmy Stewart, and Alfred Hitchcock.
Very timely -- I just finished watching The General a few minutes ago!
Last week, I saw Sunset Boulevard for the first time, and noted how sad it was that Keaton was a member of the "Waxworks" group. Surely a loss.
And finally, I just added Buster Keaton Rides Again/The Railrodder to my Netflix queue.
Last week, I saw Sunset Boulevard for the first time, and noted how sad it was that Keaton was a member of the "Waxworks" group. Surely a loss.
And finally, I just added Buster Keaton Rides Again/The Railrodder to my Netflix queue.
Just a quick note to say that The General, in Detroit, with The Alloy Orchestra
-- and Rich -- were the highlights of my Easter, maybe even my Spring. Buster Keaton is absolutley incredible in this film. He is sly, athletic, and magical on the screen. It's a silent that will transfer to any crowd, ever. Seeing it on the big screen was well worth the six hour trip. And what great company to see it with. It was a perfect night.
If you ever have a chance to see The General, especially on the big screen, take hold of that opportunity and be enthralled. It breathes new meaning into the phrase "enjoyable film experience."
-s.
-- and Rich -- were the highlights of my Easter, maybe even my Spring. Buster Keaton is absolutley incredible in this film. He is sly, athletic, and magical on the screen. It's a silent that will transfer to any crowd, ever. Seeing it on the big screen was well worth the six hour trip. And what great company to see it with. It was a perfect night.
If you ever have a chance to see The General, especially on the big screen, take hold of that opportunity and be enthralled. It breathes new meaning into the phrase "enjoyable film experience."
-s.
I just watched Buster Keaton Rides Again a 1964 Canadian documentary about the making of the short comedy The Railrodder. It also chronicles Keaton's rise and fall, including his 'acute' drinking problem, marriage problems, etc. His fall was meteoric, to put it mildly.
It's also weird to hear Keaton SPEAK (in the documentary), as well as his interaction with the director, coming up with ideas. The comic material is 'classic Keaton,' essentially unchanged from his heydey. (In his eighties, he still wore the flat hat, split tie, etc.) Keaton remains the 'trajectory' gag master, though. And he did many of his own stunts, even in this sunset film (but not his last film -- he made five more, with a final appearance in, of all things, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). There is a stunt in the first couple minutes of the film that probably wasn't him, I'm guessing.
Another thing that made Keaton a great comedian is that he had one of the greatest 'straight faces' imaginable. That forced everything around him to become the gag (not him), and greatly enhanced the physical comedy. At the same time, he had huge, expressive eyes. He may have appeared stone-faced, sad, tired in his films -- but he never laughed. In his films he was always the one acted upon, not an intentional agent of humor. (Even in the documentary, he rarely smiled or laughed--except when watching a baseball game, a lifelong passion--although he did sing a song on a ukelele at the end of the documentary.)
Keaton was apparently completely self-educated, having spent one day in school. He seemed to have had an exceptionally keen mind for spatial thinking, as we see him talk through some of the physical gags. Definitely an early, American Jackie Chang, in the sense that his comedy is so physically demanding, punishing, and absent doubles or special effects. Keaton had a much better feel for great comedy than Chan does, however. He grew up in a vaudeville family, doing punishing physical bits with his performing mother and father from the age of four. He also did some serious theater as a child.
Other factoids: An avid bridge player, WW1 vet (where he lost much of his hearing), loved children, his parents were friends of Houdini (who gave him his name). Keaton's law: Physical stunts can be outlandish, but they must always be possible, grounded in the real world. No doubt his incredible dexterity made more things possible than we might realize.
It's also weird to hear Keaton SPEAK (in the documentary), as well as his interaction with the director, coming up with ideas. The comic material is 'classic Keaton,' essentially unchanged from his heydey. (In his eighties, he still wore the flat hat, split tie, etc.) Keaton remains the 'trajectory' gag master, though. And he did many of his own stunts, even in this sunset film (but not his last film -- he made five more, with a final appearance in, of all things, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). There is a stunt in the first couple minutes of the film that probably wasn't him, I'm guessing.
Another thing that made Keaton a great comedian is that he had one of the greatest 'straight faces' imaginable. That forced everything around him to become the gag (not him), and greatly enhanced the physical comedy. At the same time, he had huge, expressive eyes. He may have appeared stone-faced, sad, tired in his films -- but he never laughed. In his films he was always the one acted upon, not an intentional agent of humor. (Even in the documentary, he rarely smiled or laughed--except when watching a baseball game, a lifelong passion--although he did sing a song on a ukelele at the end of the documentary.)
Keaton was apparently completely self-educated, having spent one day in school. He seemed to have had an exceptionally keen mind for spatial thinking, as we see him talk through some of the physical gags. Definitely an early, American Jackie Chang, in the sense that his comedy is so physically demanding, punishing, and absent doubles or special effects. Keaton had a much better feel for great comedy than Chan does, however. He grew up in a vaudeville family, doing punishing physical bits with his performing mother and father from the age of four. He also did some serious theater as a child.
Other factoids: An avid bridge player, WW1 vet (where he lost much of his hearing), loved children, his parents were friends of Houdini (who gave him his name). Keaton's law: Physical stunts can be outlandish, but they must always be possible, grounded in the real world. No doubt his incredible dexterity made more things possible than we might realize.
| QUOTE (Alan Thomas) |
| And he did many of his own stunts, even in this sunset film (but not his last film -- he made five more, with a final appearance in, of all things, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). There is a stunt in the first couple minutes of the film that probably wasn't him, I'm guessing. |
I'm not sure if I saw a behind-the-scenes focusing on Keaton or this particular film, but somewhere (film school?) I did watch how they did that scene. He runs into a low-hanging tree limb, right? That particular gag was definitely done by a stunt guy with Keaton in close-ups. He was way to old to pull it off without injury.
No. In the beginning of this film, a man jumps off of bridge (in Amsterdam, I think), into the water. Not a big stunt, but given Keaton's age, I would think someone else would have done that particular shot. I don't know which film has the tree limb in it.
In any case, for a very old man, the fact that he still did any stunts is amazing. There are scenes in The Railrodder that made me nervous, such as when he stands up on the top of the moving railcar (a la standing on the the of the engine in The General).
In any case, for a very old man, the fact that he still did any stunts is amazing. There are scenes in The Railrodder that made me nervous, such as when he stands up on the top of the moving railcar (a la standing on the the of the engine in The General).
| QUOTE (Alan Thomas) |
| No. In the beginning of this film, a man jumps off of bridge (in Amsterdam, I think), into the water. Not a big stunt, but given Keaton's age, I would think someone else would have done that particular shot. I don't know which film has the tree limb in it. |
I think both scenes are in that film. If he had the double for the tree stunt, then I am sure (as you are) that he had a double for the more dangerous stuff.
What about the stunt he did in Steamboat Bill, Jr. , where the two-ton facade of a house falls towards him in a storm and he is spared by an open window?
Buster himself did the Steamboat Bill Jr. stunt, as well as its prequel (with a smaller house) in One Week.
He was of course a much younger man at the time.
He was of course a much younger man at the time.
Yes, the scenes where he had a double (under discussion) are all from his autumn years. In his prime, there were no doubles.
Saw One Week on holiday. Laughed my ass off (It was my first Keaton - odd since I love Laurel & Hardy so)
Matt
Matt
The General is brilliant, as is Steamboat Bill. Samuel Beckett was obsessed by Keaton and made a film with him in the fifties (entitled FILM in true Beckettian style). He's also really good in Limelight when he comes on and plays a stage comedy scene with Chaplin (Limelight gets a bad press and is way sentimental but I have a soft spot for it.) I also love Chaplin and reckon that some of the critical love being given out to Keaton back in the seventies and eighties was by way of comparing him to Chaplin who'd become a complete critical bete noir at that point. Me, I love the two of them. Also Harold Lloyd.
The great thing about the Silent Film Society of Chicago is that not only does it show the greatest films in town, but it knows how to show film, period. It's in a gorgeous old theater, with the traditional, lavishly decorated cinema-vibe. Think of Cinema Paridiso, or Chicago people, think The Music Box (but bigger and cooler) and you're close. It has that whole Italian-40s-theater-thing happening, complete with a humongous balcony, stars on the ceiling and pillars and structures decorated all around the theater. Oh -- and the big red curtain that pulls away at the film's onset and an audience that responds with applause at the start of the show! Now how cool is that?!
And then to top it off, a six piece jazz band played for an hour before the movie even began. It wasn't my favorite style of music, but man, oh man, did it fit with the feel of the night. I was in love with Steamboat Bill Jr. before he ever even graced the screen. This is the way film is meant to be presented.
But wow. Buster Keaton stole the stage from everyone that preceded him that night.
I actually forgot where i was several times over the course of the film. As Bill Jr's dad marched around the train station asking "Any of you boys looking for a father?" (big laugh) we waited and waited and -- when Keaton finally did show up, once again, a huge applause bursted forth from the audience. Silent film doesn't get any better than watching it with a thousand other people that love it too.
His dad was clearly disappointed in him, in his size and in his mannerisms, and particularly when he saw Bill Jr. dancing for that little baby, he was utterly ashamed. I love the way that Keaton sets up the audience to feel sorry for him from the beginning, so that by the time he becomes the hero in the end of the film there is twice the level of appreciation.
But what is it they call him? The melancholic comic? I think that was it. And you can sense it. You always feel for him, always root for him, always laugh at him -- but you're never really laughing at him, as much as laughing because of him, and there's a huge difference. You can see in his comical actions a level of genius at work that makes you believe that in the end, by the time the final frame has rolled, he will make it out of whatever miserable situation you are currently laughing at him in. So it's almost like he's telling you, "Come on! Laugh with me now, because you'll believe in me later!"
The scene that nails us in Steamboat Bill Jr. is where the house nearly lands on him and he only survives because of an open window -- and i guess in real life, the beast nearly did land on him. It's been reported that the opening only cleared Buster's head and shoulders by a mere three inches, and that the structure weighed over a ton! Much like the scenes in The General when Keaton is flipping and diving all over a moving train, until finally the whole train goes over a bridge and crashes into a river (no CGI friends -- none.), you are gutted in your seat thinking of how real these scenes were and what went into the making of them.
It's scenes like these that make me agree with Kevin Brownlow when he makes a statement like, "The silent era was the richest in cinema's history...." and Buster Keaton was certainly one of the greatest portions of this rich era.
And i don't even like most comedies.
-s.
And then to top it off, a six piece jazz band played for an hour before the movie even began. It wasn't my favorite style of music, but man, oh man, did it fit with the feel of the night. I was in love with Steamboat Bill Jr. before he ever even graced the screen. This is the way film is meant to be presented.
But wow. Buster Keaton stole the stage from everyone that preceded him that night.
I actually forgot where i was several times over the course of the film. As Bill Jr's dad marched around the train station asking "Any of you boys looking for a father?" (big laugh) we waited and waited and -- when Keaton finally did show up, once again, a huge applause bursted forth from the audience. Silent film doesn't get any better than watching it with a thousand other people that love it too.
His dad was clearly disappointed in him, in his size and in his mannerisms, and particularly when he saw Bill Jr. dancing for that little baby, he was utterly ashamed. I love the way that Keaton sets up the audience to feel sorry for him from the beginning, so that by the time he becomes the hero in the end of the film there is twice the level of appreciation.
But what is it they call him? The melancholic comic? I think that was it. And you can sense it. You always feel for him, always root for him, always laugh at him -- but you're never really laughing at him, as much as laughing because of him, and there's a huge difference. You can see in his comical actions a level of genius at work that makes you believe that in the end, by the time the final frame has rolled, he will make it out of whatever miserable situation you are currently laughing at him in. So it's almost like he's telling you, "Come on! Laugh with me now, because you'll believe in me later!"
The scene that nails us in Steamboat Bill Jr. is where the house nearly lands on him and he only survives because of an open window -- and i guess in real life, the beast nearly did land on him. It's been reported that the opening only cleared Buster's head and shoulders by a mere three inches, and that the structure weighed over a ton! Much like the scenes in The General when Keaton is flipping and diving all over a moving train, until finally the whole train goes over a bridge and crashes into a river (no CGI friends -- none.), you are gutted in your seat thinking of how real these scenes were and what went into the making of them.
It's scenes like these that make me agree with Kevin Brownlow when he makes a statement like, "The silent era was the richest in cinema's history...." and Buster Keaton was certainly one of the greatest portions of this rich era.
And i don't even like most comedies.
-s.
Another great reason to live in the Chicago area:
Gene Siskel Film Center - Coming Attractions - December 2004 - Buster Keaton!
Featuring The Navigator (1924), Sherlock, Jr. (1924), Seven Chances (1925), The General (1926), and more.
Gene Siskel Film Center - Coming Attractions - December 2004 - Buster Keaton!
Featuring The Navigator (1924), Sherlock, Jr. (1924), Seven Chances (1925), The General (1926), and more.
In looking over the program for the Telluride FIlm Festival, I found reference to a 'newly remastered and restored print of The General' debuting at the festival -- presumably this would also mean a new DVD edition of the new print -- Stef, you may be in for a real treat in December if they'll be using the new print!
Raising the dead...
I just saw The Cameraman on Monday and The General tonight. Both were superb films. After seeing some of the marvellous camerawork in The General, I now have a full appreciation for the idea that the advent of talkies set the art of cinematography back 50 years.
I blame Bertolucci for this revival of silents in my daily film consumption, since the "Keaton vs. Chaplin" discussion in The Dreamers caused me to make a concerted effort to see the films of each star. So far I've only seen Chaplin's 1942 version of The Gold Rush (and loved it), but I liked both Keaton films better than that one.
I've got two more Keaton films and about 14 more Chaplin flims on hand. If they're all as good as this last bunch, I may explode. Call me a Keaton fan, I guess.
I just saw The Cameraman on Monday and The General tonight. Both were superb films. After seeing some of the marvellous camerawork in The General, I now have a full appreciation for the idea that the advent of talkies set the art of cinematography back 50 years.
I blame Bertolucci for this revival of silents in my daily film consumption, since the "Keaton vs. Chaplin" discussion in The Dreamers caused me to make a concerted effort to see the films of each star. So far I've only seen Chaplin's 1942 version of The Gold Rush (and loved it), but I liked both Keaton films better than that one.
I've got two more Keaton films and about 14 more Chaplin flims on hand. If they're all as good as this last bunch, I may explode. Call me a Keaton fan, I guess.
You're gonna love KModern Times. Funny as heck with a death defying stunt or two. On roller skates!
There's always something to enjoy even with "lesser" Keaton. My fave is The Seven Chances.
There's always something to enjoy even with "lesser" Keaton. My fave is The Seven Chances.
I'm doing a minor Keaton fest this weekend. Since The Cameraman made the national Film Registry this year, I thought I'd look at it. (And it is in a 2 disc set, so I have to watch other things too. Oh darn.) I really like the swimming pool sequence in The Cameraman -- especially the changing room. Also like how the plot manages to weave together a lot of different subplots in such a way that it's not just a bunch of short stories (although subplot works well as it's own short story).
I remember watching Keaton (with sound) on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. Old goat that I am since my birthday, I think the world would be much better with that on instead of some of the cartoons that kids watch now.
I remember watching Keaton (with sound) on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. Old goat that I am since my birthday, I think the world would be much better with that on instead of some of the cartoons that kids watch now.
Ah, this reminds me, Mark Steyn posted something on Keaton a few days ago -- it might be more-or-less the same essay I posted in this thread's first post, but it's got a Brokeback Mountain reference, so who knows ...
Just watched Seven Chances with the kids, and wow, I have now officially decided that Keaton is the greatest.
No denying Chaplin's genius, and nobody's a bigger fan of Harold Lloyd than I am. But film for film no one can match the consistent excellence of Keaton's body of work.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a huge fan of stuntwork and daredevil acrobatics, and Keaton's work is practically at Douglas Fairbanks caliber in that department. (Fairbanks's work is also consistently excellent, though Keaton was more prolific.)
The last act of Seven Chances is absolutely vintage Keaton, nearly the equal of the last act of Steamboat Bill, Jr. -- and much more integrated to the rest of the film.
No denying Chaplin's genius, and nobody's a bigger fan of Harold Lloyd than I am. But film for film no one can match the consistent excellence of Keaton's body of work.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a huge fan of stuntwork and daredevil acrobatics, and Keaton's work is practically at Douglas Fairbanks caliber in that department. (Fairbanks's work is also consistently excellent, though Keaton was more prolific.)
The last act of Seven Chances is absolutely vintage Keaton, nearly the equal of the last act of Steamboat Bill, Jr. -- and much more integrated to the rest of the film.
Ditto the high praise for Seven Chances - that last act is an utter hoot and physically astonishing. My whole family and I watched this a couple of months ago and loved it. Of the handful of Keaton films I've seen so far, it's a close tie with The General for my favorite. Then again, we've enjoyed all of his films - his flat expression, flat little hat, and ridiculous predicaments are quite endearing.
Hmm, I'd have to put the Keaton films I've seen an order of preference that doesn't really favor Seven Chances. They're all consistently excellent, as has been mentioned, but Seven Chances just didn't have a lot to it.
However, the only film I thought he really didn't hit the right chords on was College.
However, the only film I thought he really didn't hit the right chords on was College.
Watched The General last night. Some of you proclaim this as the high point of Keaton, but I dunno. It certainly is good. But I much preferred The Cameraman and the stunts in Spite Marriage. What did I miss. (Maybe sound, since my DVD has no accompaniment.)
Tonight I took the family to a screening of Keaton's Seven Chances at a local retirement villa here in Santa Clarita. We had a blast. This was the first time my wife or stepkids had seen a silent movie. The evening was made extra special, because the movie was shown with live accompaniment by Bob Mitchell, who, at age 95, is thought to be the only remaining, living silent movie accompanist from the era to still be performing. Mitchell gave a brief talk before the film, recounting his days as an accompanist at the Strand Theatre in Pasadena, where he began his career at the age of 12! He has been playing piano from the age of three, and began playing pipe organs at the age of 9, when his feet could actually touch the pedals. After the end of the silent era, Bob founded the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir, which was the subject of the Oscar nominated short film Forty Boys and a Song (1940). He hasn't lost his touch, and a wonderful time was had by all.
Bob Mitchell will be in Newhall, CA on April 4th, playing to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last at the Saugus Train Station at Heritage Junction. If you're in the area, I encourage you to come out and relive a piece of movie history.
Bob Mitchell will be in Newhall, CA on April 4th, playing to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last at the Saugus Train Station at Heritage Junction. If you're in the area, I encourage you to come out and relive a piece of movie history.
Bob's great. I got to see him play in L.A. two months ago when the Silent Movie Theatre held a screening of Keaton's Sherlock, Jr. The guy is still an incredibly agile musician, and afteward the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Every so often we need to rekindle this thread, just to remind ourselves to watch Keaton. I watched The Navigator today (along with shorts The Boat and The Love Nest). Not at the same level as The Cameraman or The General, but fun all the same.
One can never go wrong with Keaton. Especially after a long day, what a great way to wind down. Always entertaining. Sheer genius. And so last night, while I was winding down to the work of this genius, watching Three Ages, you have to love that chariot race scene, something dawned on me. Has anyone else wondered if this film loosely inspired Hou Hsiao Hsien in the conception of his brilliant film Three Times? I wonder. Any thoughts? Obviously, they are completely different pieces in tone and place, but I bet there may be a tip of the hat in there from Hou to Buster.
QUOTE (either/or @ Jul 30 2008, 10:21 PM) 
One can never go wrong with Keaton. Especially after a long day, what a great way to wind down. Always entertaining. Sheer genius. And so last night, while I was winding down to the work of this genius, watching Three Ages, you have to love that chariot race scene, something dawned on me. Has anyone else wondered if this film loosely inspired Hou Hsiao Hsien in the conception of his brilliant film Three Times? I wonder. Any thoughts? Obviously, they are completely different pieces in tone and place, but I bet there may be a tip of the hat in there from Hou to Buster.
I'm pretty sure it was intended to be a farcical version of Intolerance... perhaps Three Times is inspired by the D.W. Griffith film as well? I should see both of those, come to think of it. Three Ages is a great classic, I love the ending.
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