Buster Keaton
Never...in a million years...would I tire of talking about Buster Keaton. To those of you unfortunate enough to get the opportunity to hang out with me - you're already aware of my crippling obsession with Buster. To those of you new to the experience ... I hope you packed a lunch. You'll be here a while...
Why Buster? How dare you ask such a thing...Just look at that face...
There are so many reasons to admire Buster Keaton it would be senseless to break it down. What first started this lifelong addiction was a Turner Classic Movies marathon back in the late 1980's. They showed four Keaton films and followed it with a documentary about his life. That's pretty much all it took. Once I realized the spirit of independent filmmaking BEGAN with Buster, I was in love for life. If it hadn't been for Keaton - Hollywood would have floundered far more than it did. Unfortunately, Buster's accomplishments are constantly overshadowed by other comedians from the silent era. Mainly, Chaplin. I hate Charlie Chaplin for this sole reason. His advances in cinema don't even come close to what Keaton mastered, yet Chaplin gets the gold star. Keaton fought for control over his films - not once he became famous, but from the very first one-reeler with Fatty Arbuckle. As soon as he had the cash - he purchased his studio. He wrote all his films. He paid for them out of his pocket. He casted them with friends and family. He edited them alone. He produced them alone. He marketed them to depression-era America...alone. At home, while breaking the waves in Hollywood - he battled alcoholism, terrifying injuries, bankruptcy and a failing marriage. Hell, there was even a close brush with a kinky murder scandal - but let's pretend that never happened since Buster technically wasn't there. Shut up, Fatty Arbuckle fans! I'm talking here...
In the early days of the 1990's, I received a gift for Christmas of the entire Buster Keaton catalog. It was a heydey of happiness because up until that morning, the only Keaton films I could find were the scratchy ones they aired randomly on TCM. Now ... I had it all! Each of the VHS tapes contained one feature film and two shorts. The total on the box set gave me everything from the self-produced Keaton era. I wish I could say, I watched them and enjoyed them. What actually happened was so much more embarrassing and unnatural...so...since I share so openly, what yours truly did was a landmark in the history of OCD.
I went to the bookstore. I ordered everything about Keaton that was in print at that time. I read each of the books like scripture. What? That's not odd to you? Oh...I left out something.
I wrote to each of the authors, heartfelt pleas to help me in my quest to learn as much as I could about this mysterious, stone-faced man. One wrote back. Marion Meade sent me a two page, handwritten letter imploring me to continue, press forward, keep digging and studying the great Keaton. She gave me tips on where I could view some of the (impossible) hard to find "talkies" and stoked a fire that was already crackling.
To this very day, I can't hear someone talk about Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd without screwing my face up in a knot. Truthfully - neither of those two comedians did crap compared to what Keaton accomplished. Chaplin (while a producer/writer/director himself) was under the thumb of MGM and Hollywood acceptabilities. He was trying to be famous. He was a sell out without the audacity that Keaton had. Lloyd doesn't even count. He was a studio monkey. He did as he was told and I don't care who says differently. Neither of these two made the advancements Keaton made, not just in the spirit of independent filmmaking - but in editing, lighting, special effects, marketing, writing...ah Jesus, it just goes on and on. Let's get into the meat of the blog now before I get overexcited, wet my pants and pass out...
PART ONE: THE FEATURES
5) "SEVEN CHANCES" (1925): Yeah, you've probably seen this - you just didn't realize it was Buster Keaton. Chris O'Donnell called this The Bachelor (1999), the Three Stooges even tried remaking it twice (Brideless Groom, Husbands Beware) but to me, it'll always be Seven Chances. The setup is classic. Keaton will inherit seven million dollars if he can get married by 7pm on his 27th birthday. The bride hunt begins. This is a classic Keaton zinger. The best part of this film (to me) is the chase scene at the end. I'm still not 100% sure how the hell he managed to pull it off - or live through it. It lasts far longer than you expect and becomes (life-threateningly?) ridiculous in its spectacle. The gags are potent and if you've never seen a Buster movie, this is a fantastic place to start. He hurts himself a lot in this one. Watch his little monkey-gymnast body spew out of control over the course of 56 minutes. You'll be sold. I promise. The plot and cast are as wonderful as possible. Also, keep an eye out for Jean Arthur who appears in a bit role as a telephone operator. She'd go on to become a legend in her own right. Thanks Buster!
4) "THE NAVIGATOR" (1924): This is considered one of Buster's masterpieces. I will agree. There is no way to replicate, imitate or explain The Navigator. I think to me, I can't get past the physical endurance it must have taken - or the fact that Buster managed to figure out how to use a camera underwater (for the first time folks) while wearing a 400lb iron suit. The scene where Rollo Treadway (Keaton) and Betsy O'Brien (Kathryn McGuire) chase each other around the rented boat - is so fun for me, I just don't know why. You just have to see it. Those two fools run around the boat for about six miles and never stop. Buster was a chain smoker - I just don't know how he did this when I can barely climb a flight of stairs. I'm also not the best swimmer, so imagining having hundreds of pounds of iron around my face while submerged twenty feet below the Pacific makes me shudder a little bit. He didn't mind. He did it for such an extreme amount of time, he got the bends. The technical advancements during the underwater segments are hard to even describe. The cannibal invasion at the end is (now, in 2013) pretty politically incorrect ... which just makes it funnier. The Navigator is one of the all time power punches in the gut of silent filmmaking. This is #81 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs. It should be higher.
3) "STEAMBOAT BILL, JR." (1928): I swear to God - I love this movie. Not because it has Buster's most dangerous stunt EVER ... just because it's an amazing film. There are numerous moments in SBJr that I still cannot explain. The flood? The cyclone? How the hell did he fly? Was that a real house in the river? How did he just stand there while two tons of wood came down around him, leaving only a half inch to spare? Who does these things? A crazy person!
This film came toward the end of the silent era. 1929 was looming just around the corner, and Keaton thought this would be his final film before being sucked into the "talkie" phase. This would prove to be his last feature for United Artists. His last feature having control.
You've probably seen clips from this one. In all the biographies, Keaton agreed that this film held the one stunt that actually scared him. Just one. One.
So you must imagine how horrifying it had to be to have to stand there like that, not knowing if you were about to film your death - or make film history. He made film history and did something NO ONE wanted to imitate. Oh sure, they tried - but it was half-assed versions. No one had the gumption to let an entire building land on them. This is a great Keaton work. He was full of power at this point, at the top of his game as the candle began to flutter. His special effects are breathtakingly expensive, his cast are all top-drawer, the editing is as snappy as Russ Meyer (Oh, I just went there didn't I?) and the score is foot tapping.
Oh yeah, and without this one - the world wouldn't have Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney modeled Steamboat Willie after this film, marking the debut of Mickey Mouse - so you can thank Buster for the entire career of Walt Disney now. Go ahead. I'll wait.
2) "THE GENERAL" (1927): Here's where my list causes controversy. How dare I put The General in the number two slot? Who do I think I am? Everybody knows - when it comes to Buster Keaton, it just doesn't get any better than The General, right?
Wrong...at least to me.
Don't misunderstand - I loveeeeeeeeeee this movie, it's just not my number one. It is, however; probably the best film by Buster Keaton for a gaggle of reasons. It's even considered one of the best films ever made. Justly.
The most expensive single shot in silent film history is in The General. The stunts Keaton performs are phenomenal. I love what he does with that (live) cannon. The timing on some of the shots are hard to even believe he captured - his mastery with comedy is indisputable and there is no human alive on earth today who can dislike this film. There's just no way. Even if you hate silent films - you'll still love The General, it's just that good.
I could rattle on for weeks about the merits of this movie, but it's been done to death. Being the most famous of all Keaton features, pretty much everyone alive talks about it at some point. I won't bore you when you're all fully capable of Googling this on your own.
The General is an amazing movie. It changed everything. It changed me and it will change you.
1) "SHERLOCK, JR." (1924): And here it is. My number one. Numero Uno! Some critics will agree, some will come after me with flaming torches. I don't really care. Sherlock, Jr. will always be the best Buster Keaton film of all time.
This was the first movie by Buster Keaton that I saw, way back on that fateful night in the early 1990's on TCM. It's 45 minutes long, so there's no commitment. The stunts are landmarks. You can't even explain most of these and that quick-change thing he does when diving through SOMEONE'S STOMACH is just plain stupid. The plot is hilarious and symbolic of everything about Keaton's career as a filmmaker. And then...there's the dream sequence...
Never before in a movie had a character actually stepped into a film. It broke rules. It destroyed the fourth wall. But that's not all Buster was after - he wanted to crush history. He took precise geodesic measurements, calculus got involved in order to make it appear that he was seamlessly stepping from one bizarre situation into another - all while visible on a screen in front of you. It's hard to explain. Watch it. You'll have to lift your jaw as well.
These things are simple in 2013. I can even imitate this on my computer. Buster did this in 1924. He etched effects into the film itself with his little sausage fingers. His passion for making movies is never captured as well as it is in Sherlock, Jr. (also, his personal favorite - proving I have great taste, see?)
Hush! I didn't forget!
Stay tuned for part II of this Buster Keaton marathon to see my top five choices for his short films. Yeah, this was just the features. You've got another whole blog to go before we can move past Mr. K.
Happy now?
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