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ehle64
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:04 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 7149 Location: NYC; US&A
Now who's not reading posts!

It was in Bertolucci's The Dreamers

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marantzo
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:08 pm Reply with quote
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Oh. I think I skipped that because I thought I might see it. I think I skipped it. I remember seeing it. I was in Paris in the 60's. Was I one of the guys?
Rod
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:19 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 2944 Location: Lithgow, Australia
I disagree that Chaplin was a somehow less visual director than Keaton. It's simply that Chaplin's concerns, and thus his style, were usually entirely human, intimate, and small-scale. His visual storytelling, right up to and including a sound film like the opening scenes of Limelight, is always direct, clear, and brilliant. His ability to conjure atmosphere was great - look at any still from City Lights, and his few moments of comedy that can be said to be in a style similar to Keaton's use of large props - the shanty house on the cliff in The Gold Rush; the obscene factory in Modern Times - are just as deftly absurd. Keaton was a player with objects - he even basically reduced himself to an object with his indomitable, pokerfaced persona.

Now, where Keaton was original and separate was his pioneering in manipulating film itself for comic - but almost unwittingly avant-garde - purposes, as in playing all the parts himself in The Playhouse and the brilliant tricks of Sherlock Jnr - probably my favorite of his films.
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Marj
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:51 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 10497 Location: Manhattan
Interesting observations Rod. And I'll look forward to reading them again after I receive The General from Netflix.
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MVerdoux
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:59 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 37 Location: NYC & NJ
marantzo wrote:
Keaton's last film was a short film promoting the CPR or the CNR I forget which Canadian railway. I've seen it and it is pretty good. I think it was in the 60's. I saw an interview with his wife about him and the making of that short. There was a scene that he wanted to do standing atop a railway car as it was travelling over a bridge and he would be trying to read a map that kept getting blown into his face. The producers were aghast and wouldn't let him do it because it was so dangerous. I think they had him sitting in one of those little track cars that you pump instead and had the map keep blowing in his face. It's been a long time since I've seen it so I may be off a little. His wife said that he didn't drink anymore but always had a beer. So much for the AA propaganda.


The film is THE RAILRODDER and the accompaning documentary is BUSTER KEATON RIDES AGAIN (both 1965). Buster actually finally has his way and performs the "child's play" (his words) with the map on the tressle bridge. Both films were released on a DVD from Image which appears to now be out of print. Both films are superb.

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"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." - Charles Chaplin
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marantzo
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:08 pm Reply with quote
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Thanks MVerdoux, I'm sure that CPR or CNR has copies. What a trooper, he still did all his stunts. And they were actually where they appeared to be. The tradition of the falling house frame survived till the end.
MVerdoux
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:17 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 37 Location: NYC & NJ
lady wakasa wrote:
If you look up the Keaton box that Kino put out a couple years back, there's an extra DVD called Keaton Plus. It contains a lot of the commercials he did.


They'll be a LOT more BK commercials on display in INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH KEATON - out early next year. Yours truly co-produced this 2 disc DVD "supplemental" material collection of additions to the Keaton cannon. KEATON PLUS AND ALSO if you will. Very Happy

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"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." - Charles Chaplin
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MVerdoux
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:51 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 37 Location: NYC & NJ
marantzo wrote:
Keaton and Chaplin were two great comedians of the silent era or any era for that matter and it's silly to either be in one camp or another. One may appeal to you more than the other, but that has to do with your personal taste. It's like arguing what's better, Sirloin or T bone? Well Sirloin is better, but it's a silly argument.


I couldn't agree more. I love them both. They both do wonderful things each in their own unique way. I love finding connections between them. Chaplin is my favorite - but I would never say that one is "better" than the other.

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"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." - Charles Chaplin
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MVerdoux
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:00 am Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 37 Location: NYC & NJ
[quote="lady wakasa"]Also - Buster Keaton has the best pokerface I've ever seen. He gets into scrapes, but nothing seems to actually faze him.
Quote:


On the other hand....he actually expresses so much with his "pokerface" and is amazingly expressive.

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"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." - Charles Chaplin
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Shane
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:10 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 1168 Location: Chicago
I just returned from Facets' showing of Viva Maria! it was fun and full of laughs, very slapstick. Unfortunatly it was 35mm in dead red. I made the mistake of mentioning to our projectionist that we have brand new DVDs' of it in the store and he read me the riot act about the virtue of 35mm over DVD in detail I agreed with him about the merits and walked away saying "it's still dead red." I mentioned this only because this was as close as I've seen a later movie come to consistantly looking every bit like a silent. Not the lack of color either the performances and shots. All the gags were strictly sight and it really needed no dialogue most of the time.

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tirebiter
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:25 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4011 Location: not far away
Think slow. Act fast. - Buster Keaton
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Ghulam
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:34 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4742 Location: Upstate NY
They both are great movie comedians, but Chaplin is also a pioneer in the history of cinema.
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Shane
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:38 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 1168 Location: Chicago
I have to say that these discussions will probably run quite well under their own steam for the next two weeks.

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Joe Vitus
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:43 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 14498 Location: Houston
I'd so completely written Chaplin off, and that's one of the reasons I'm greatful for this forum. I'm inspired to take another look.

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Shane
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:46 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 1168 Location: Chicago
I'm thinking of taking a look at "Gay sex in the 70s" It looks interesting...

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