BUSTER KEATON : THE PERSISTENCE OF COMEDY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Imogen Sara Smith | 284 pages | 24 Nov 2013 | Createspace Independent Publishing Platform | 9781494285593 | English | none Buster Keaton : The Persistence of Comedy PDF Book For the businessmen who were to make the final decision, one fact loomed above all others: features made more money. What about when the door hits him and he walks up and down holding his face? She has written on topics ranging from photography and painting to cinema history. Schenck Director: Edward F. The best book on Keaton in print-- and I've read most of them. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. Dark Passages Hotel Noir From the squalid to the generic, cheap hotels serve as a quintessential habitat for the lonely, transitory people in crime cinema. Opposing qualities of irony and sweetness, logic and absurdity, passion and impassiveness don't just coexist in Keaton's films and character, they are fused so completely that it is impossible to see where one ends and the other begins. He briefly launches into an Erich von Stroheim impression during one of these scenes. Trade Paperback Books. Subscribe today. Yes it's magic but it's not often a good biography because it can be fawning, obsequious or just plain sickening. In addition, the two codirected The Rough House , a comedy short in which they also starred. Show More Show Less. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Hart and, well, I am a bit annoyed. At least, this is how it has appeared to scholars. Rapf and Gary L. Smith Paperback Books. You are right about the importance of understanding the context of a movie if you are going to write about it. The fight is on! Catherine Wilson rated it liked it Jan 02, The Arbuckle scandal and trials were the subject du jour for Hollywood and everyone had an opinion. We laugh at individual stunts and marvel at the masses of uniforms that Buster seemingly cannot escape. Hart about these rules. You know, telegrams, production notes or journals that back up my claims. Like this: Like Loading Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. In fact, Keaton gives up the Hart impression for much of the short and throws in a parody of Erich von Stroheim for good measure. Enlarge cover. My Wonderful World Of Slapstick 1. Welcome back. Joseph M. Keaton's soaring success in motion pictures lasted 15 years until a devastating crash brought on by personal troubles, alcoholism and the advent of sound pictures. The endless pursuit of Buster by an army of Cops therefore takes on an abstract quality. The author jumps around a little bit in order to fill-in certain points and information about Keaton's life. The coming of sound and the sea-change it brought to the movie industry, combined with Keaton's loss of creative independence, personal troubles and a severe drinking problem almost ended his career. Another guest asks, "What happened to you? The exposing-spousal-abuse angle only makes sense if Hart was an utter boy scout to ladies in his films and Keaton was uncovering his violent ways. Curious viewers can compare the results for themselves. Keep in mind that Hart was extremely popular and his films were often re-issued. Somber, elegiac, and full of dark humor, it also had the narrative and thematic focus he would need in the world of feature films. Open Preview See a Problem? Het is echter in een enkel geval mogelijk dat door omstandigheden de bezorging vertraagd is. Weirwoo rated it it was amazing Sep 08, Not that Buster ever called it art. Buster Keaton : The Persistence of Comedy Writer The set comes on three separate Blu-ray discs, in order of filming. Heater Fuel Filter F 4. Paperback , pages. Hart was an old sourpuss but I love him anyway. Exploring controversies and unresolved questions, engaging previous criticism and offering new insights, ThePersistence of Comedy pays tribute to Keaton's complexity and enduring relevance. The Love Nest marked her final collaboration with Buster--and in the film as it stands today, that collaboration is nothing more than a fleeting glimpse in the opening shot, and her appearance in a photograph. Buster Keaton struggled with higher-ups at MGM while making his last great film, which the studio would later hold up as a model of a perfectly constructed comedy. About this product. Four months before his death, he received a five-minute standing ovation—the longest ever recorded—at the Venice Film Festival. See all 2 brand new listings. Buster Keaton is remembered today as one of the most innovative and hilarious comedians of the silent movie era, considered now to be the equal to Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. Most relevant reviews. Many of your thoughts are after my own heart. The Arbuckle-Keaton silent comedies are some of the funniest ever; we only wish that more of them existed in better-quality prints. Silent film historians are sometimes placed in the uncomfortable position of passing judgment on films they have never seen. Excellent overview of his films, career and life. Latest Welcome to Famous Clowns. I've read many-- or perhaps all --of the biographies and Keaton's own autobiography. Buster had always shown a mordant streak--yet few of his gags are as bitterly funny as the one where he sinks an entire ship, drowning its crew, in order to escape in a lifeboat. Get A Copy. I think fans of both Keaton and Chaplin will understand my viewpoint and my meaning. Pulling himself out of the doldrums, he spent the next two decades rebuilding his life and reputation, starring in cheap two-reel comedies, playing minor screen roles, touring in summer stock , and working as a comedy writer at his former studio, MGM. For him it was a craft, and nothing more. Three noirs from plough up the dark underbelly of agriculture, exploring the corrupt system that puts food on our tables. I mean, I could say that Keaton spoofed D. His pictures have a rather high survival rate and they are comparatively easy for the general public to obtain from major retailers. Jan 15, Robert Walrod added it. He was a genius. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Monica rated it really liked it Oct 02, The voyage of the good ship Damfino is one disaster after another, even when Keaton's little dinghy remains tied up to the dock. I think I will re-read this at some point. And, just so you know, sometimes the girls hit or even fired back. Details if other :. In another, a spare tire that Buster hops on to hitch a ride turns out to be a display sitting on the ground, and not attached to the automobile. Reviews Schrijf een review. Keaton continues his devastating impression. Perhaps not his best, but still a great watch. When did they say it? In my opinion, both the revenge and abuse theories completely collapse once someone takes the time to actually watch a William S. Stock photo. Clowning Book of the Month — December Sign up here to see what happened On This Day , every day in your inbox! Buster Keaton : The Persistence of Comedy Reviews Smith Paperback Books. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. They say he got his name from Harry Houdini himself. Jul 20, Mark Schoen rated it really liked it Shelves: film. Thank you for your thoughts, as you can see this mystery has been bugging me for awhile now! I also liked that the author didn't dwell too much on the years lost to alcoholism - Buster didn't, so why should everyone else? Most relevant reviews. World, and the gamesmanship between Keaton's endlessly inventive mind against the machinations of the physical world are addictively entertaining. They say he walked out of his place in one of vaudeville's top comedy acts to become a Broadway star--and then walked out of that contract to be a low- paid second banana to film comic Roscoe Arbuckle. I've seen Buster's silent movies multiple times and I've read most of the major biographies and explorations of his work. The work is infamous for claiming that Keaton was illiterate, which seems odd given that the man kept a date book from the age of Neither muckraking Buster's alcoholism and womanising is gone into, but fairly or idolatrous Buster is presented as the greatest of the silent clowns, but he's not put on a highly intellectual purely artistic level with the likes of Beckett or Picasso. Keaton continues his devastating impression. If anything, The Frozen North on the mild side for a spoof. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In some of these films, Buster is caught in a dreamscape, in others he is living a waking nightmare. Of course not. Get A Copy. I do not claim to be a Buster Keaton expert, just a fan, but I do know a thing or two about William S. The Love Nest is the only of Keaton's shorts for which he took sole credit as writer and director. But a look at any one of his 19 silent two-reel shorts made between and proves him wrong: here is proof that geniuses do come in slapshoes after all. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable.