Author | Dan Callahan
Translation | revoir (Fontainebleau)
proofreading | Xu Jiahan (Paris/Boston)
Edit | Island. (Wuhan)
Original link http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/keaton/
In "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), Buster Key plays the bridge player He stared at a bad hand with a gloomy expression, and hummed with his usual indifferent, "Pass". Afterwards, he was unhappy, and repeated "pass" softly.
Buster Keaton (1895.10.04-1966.02.01)
A brief appearance in Billy Wilder’s classic allegory illustrates his life And the core attitude in the work. It is this attitude that makes him an important artist. His profoundness is appreciated by intellectuals, and his boldness has amused mainstream audiences. Keaton himself has no ambition to become a great man. He has repeatedly emphasized that he is only interested in making the audience laugh.
Like many film artists, in order to work at the highest level, his spontaneous creation requires freedom. Keaton in the 1920s created a large number of highly recognized feature films and short films, which can be called a treasure chest of movies: having details unique to that period, and the amazingness of asking oneself "Is he really doing this?", and A tough character, one of the most poetic answers to the imaginable life. Restrained, unpretentious, and pure film, beyond his seemingly inadequate working style, a series of scattered and unnecessary co-directors, or his own self-destructive personality.
When I was young, Keaton and his parents performed in the same touring juggling theater. He was promoted as a "little boy who won't get hurt" and was thrown around the stage by his father Joe Keaton, who was 5 years old that year. Buster realized early on that if his expression remained serious, everyone would laugh harder. Three Keaton troupes were very popular at the time, although some people questioned this boisterous humor, especially after Buster grew up and his father started drinking. At the age of 21, Buster, an experienced stage actor who has been polished for 16 years, has no money in his pocket. The consequences of this childhood cannot be underestimated. He never said and did not want to listen to bad things about his family, even if it was his abusive father, so it is difficult to estimate how badly he has been hurt and in what form. For Buster, it seems that all of his early life was physical pain and the endurance he cultivated. Just endure the hardship and make fun is the most important thing, just like this year after year. His artistic image is shaped by this experience: when you fall, you stand up immediately; if the girl doesn't like you, you will do your best to wait until she likes you. He does not cry and never laughs. The point is that even if everything goes well, Buster knows that everything will soon go wrong, which allowed him to shoot some of the most ruthless endings in film history. Deep down in his heart, he is extremely cautious, pragmatic, and pessimistic, and only occasionally can he release himself into pure physical abstraction through graceful movements.
After leaving the Mobile Acrobatic Troupe, the young comedian was personally directed by Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle. In his debut work "The Butcher Boy" (1917), Buster's subtle and extremely restrained movements immediately attracted the camera. He also casually put on the pie hat that would become his signature in the future, with sand sticking to the hat — genuine at a fair price. In one shot, in one of countless falls, he fell backwards and stood upside down.
He filmed 14 movies with Akbar, and for the first time tasted the director's action scenes. "I directed a scene with Rothko," he recalled. In these short films, his characterThe elephant has not been fully established, but many familiar features have emerged. Although he was not completely expressionless, his facial movements were minimal. The short films of the Abakir/Keton period were loose and casual, and opposed to Mack Sennett (the producer); when Buster had the opportunity to make his own film, he completely abandoned the way of vaudeville. He is interested in some kind of unspeakable conceptual humor, which is achieved mainly by the cooperation of facial expressions and actions at the time. It goes without saying that this humor is a learned taste.
Some people think that Keaton’s movies are boring compared to Chaplin’s activeness and the relaxed laugh and cry in his movies. Of course, there is no reason to have to distinguish between the two, as if there is no need to choose between Fred Astaire and Kim Kelly. From different perspectives, the two have their own strengths and weaknesses, but Keaton is undoubtedly the more realistic one; if he kicks a bad guy in the ass (which is what Chaplin often does), his feet will hurt.
Keaton’s short films in the early 1920s were the preheat of his feature films, but they also have their own strange and charming features. There are often fashionable jokes about alcohol prohibition and women's suffrage in the movies, and they show constant reflection, making it possible to be the first serious movies about the movie itself. In "One Week" (1920), there is a wonderful scene: his newlywed wife is taking a bath. After she dropped the soap, she reached out to pick it up, but then watched the audience make a reproachful expression, and at the same time covered her body with one hand on the camera. The above scenes show his high level of understanding of the nature of the film medium, and this understanding reached its culmination in "Sherlock, Jr" (1924). Keaton has an instinctive understanding of the dreamlike nature of movies—many of his short films end with waking up from a dreamy sleep.
In "Hard Luck" (1921), he foresaw "Harold and Maude" (Hal Ashby, 1971) 50 years in advance-the whole short film consists of one The composition of the series of attempted suicides also revealed Keaton's own despair ticking like a time bomb. "This guy Keaton seems to be the whole show."
He said so in "The Playhouse" (1921). In the film he played all the characters in a theater: an entire symphony orchestra, a conductor, a child, an elderly woman, a noble lady and his tired husband. The film has a boundless surrealism, which also satirizes Chaplin and other filmmakers who always want to be key figures in the film, especially the producer Thomas Ince. In "The Frezon North" (1922), he made a sharp allusion of "Foolish Wives" (1922) by Von Stroheim.
Social topics are often discussed in movies, although the tone is not sure but bold enough. In "Paleface, the White-faced Chief" (1921), he broke into the Indian Reservation with a butterfly net. When he was tied to a tree stump and was about to burn to death, he wanted to stir up the fire with a few dim birthday candles. The chief was moved by his composure and accepted him as a member of the tribe, and he immediately joined a brutal land battle. In perhaps his most pleasant short film "Neighbors" (1920), he was trapped in a hole in the ground and then drilled out with a black face, luring an angry policeman in the neighborhood to chase him . He quickly wiped the dirt off half of his face, then turned to one side and then the other, completely stunned the policeman. When his face is white, the police will walk away. He turned black and the police approached. The film ends with a confused anger, which points out the comments on racial issues. However, he was slightly diminished by his later plot to "replace" a black lady with a piece of paper on top of his head.
Buster is often mean and impatient in these short films, but after falling in love, he will be incredibly serious and stupid. The failure of his marriage to his first wife, Natalie Talmadge, is cruelly shown in these films. His attitude towards hostile women is indifferent.Sincere but still very acrid. In 1923, Keaton was promoted by his brother-in-law and started filming a feature film. This man was the husband of screen star Norma Talmadge, known as Joseph Schenck. Schenck secured Keaton's rights to all his films. However, Keaton will not get a cent from any of his masterpieces in the future. Schenck, like Joe Keaton, exploited the "great stone face", but he did give Keaton the freedom he needed. The next few painful years will produce Keaton's best drama.
Keaton’s first feature film, "The Three Ages" (1923) is a confusing parody of Griffith’s "Intolerance" (1916), in which various strange gags are scattered , But it is completely preparing for the next step. His next work, "Our Hospitality" (1923), has a fine and realistic characteristic of the time. It is this characteristic that embellished his best movie "The General" (1926). The movie ends with a scene of daredevils juggling on a waterfall. Keaton began to learn to be unhurried and found his own unique rhythm. In "Sherlock Jr. Holmes II", he presents a short period of thinking about movies and dreams. Projector Buster fell asleep in the control room, dreaming that he could enter the film being played.
Keaton uses a series of extremely clever visual effects to show how it climbs onto a screen and becomes part of the movie. It is unforgettable. Keaton understood the singularity of this medium home without even realizing it, and plunged himself into the magnificent flowing sea of unreality in the movie. The moment he walked into the curtain, he achieved something for all of us.
The next "The Navigator" (1924), it would be more appropriate to call it a ballet rather than a movie. There are only two wealthy fools in all the characters, the tired Buster and Kathleen MacGuire, who is out of condition, trapped in an abandoned ship. The joke is sly but has a kindness you can't imagine. There is an aesthetic in "Navigator" that other directors don't have, a unique Buster style. For the first time with him, "she" is as interesting as "he"-he and MacGuire are a good match.
"Seven Chances" (1925) is regarded by Keaton as one of his worst works, but it is actually one of his best and must be the most underrated. Maybe Keaton doesn't like to be trapped in such a certain plot; this is a cliché Belasco (1853-1931, drama director), a man must get married before the end of the day to inherit seven million dollars. Buster has a Cary Grant taste in the film, unbalanced sexual charm and sullen politeness. In trying to find the bride as quickly as possible, he spent some beautiful moments with a young brown-haired girl (played by Jean Arthur). There are a lot of unimaginable jokes in the movie, which take place in some unspeakable scenes-describing it word by word will not be so humorous. At the climax of the madness is an amazing continuous live-action cartoon. Hundreds of possible brides chase him in the field, and the women pouring out like a landslide. He ran, and a real landslide broke out, and the stones rolled bigger and bigger.
In "Go West" (1925), Keaton entertained with Chaplin-style tragedy, turning the tone to a Zen-style indifference, dull to the point of swallowing gas. At a decisive moment, in a card game, a gunman said: "When you say this, laugh!" Buster couldn't do it, of course, although he tried to pick up the corners of his mouth with his fingers. This is a knowing smile to Lilian Gish in "Broken Blossoms" (Griffith, 1919). At the end of the movie, Buster runs away with a cow named "Brown Eyes", his most charming heroine.
"Warlord Butler Battling BUtler (1926) is said to be Keaton’s own favorite. But it may be his weakest feature film, although Martin Scorsese has praised the realistic style of the ending long boxing scene. What is even more admirable is the work of his recognized master, "The General", based on the real story during the Civil War. He spent a lot of time and money in order to make the movie exactly what he wanted. Such care is also obvious in the movie-especially in the accurate reproduction of the characteristics of the times. Keaton's engineer hero Johnny loves both trains and beauties. When he must say goodbye to the latter, he waved his hand vigorously, stumbled, and finally made a solemn farewell. Because he was thinking of her in his heart, he didn't notice that the train wheels were moving forward. This was a subtle depiction of love troubles. Whenever things go wrong, his calm and fidgeting anxiety is very cute. The passage on the train is admirable, and another important moment was praised by Andrew Sarris. He turned to his clumsy lover and kissed her, all in one go. This is his best work, and he knows it himself. But the movie quickly suffered a fiasco. Keaton can't understand it anyway, maybe as Pauline Kael said, this movie is too perfect. After
reached the peak, Keaton declined in "University" (1927) and "Captain II Steamboat Bill Jr." (1928), but both movies also There are bright spots. "School" was his first film to take care of the audience's standards, in which he became an athlete in order to please his favorite girl. As expected, the movie has constant jokes and a pleasing calmness. At the end, it showed a breathtaking morbid state, extending the usual cheerful fading out to fading out, taking pictures of home, quirky old people, and finally ending in a set of shots that fit the sarcophagus. The studio system cannot readily accept such dangerous ideas. "Captain II" is his last truly outstanding feature film. His face is old and sad, but when he sniffs the girl's hair in despair, he still has a deep romance in him. The joke was just right and there was suspense; in one clip, even though he was kicked out of the door and tied up and stuffed into the car, Buster did not forget to cross his legs decently. The last few films of
are the most exquisite expression of his art, and he is not afraid to show the dullness appropriately or even too thoroughly. Just like Beethoven's late string quartet: it is as beautiful as a paradise for professionals, but the general audience stays away. After such an achievement, there is a period of decline. Researchers feel that he is too familiar, unlike Griffith, von Strauhan, Wells and Nicholas Ray, who are more vulnerable and uncompromising American directors. These directors, as well as John Barrymore, Bette Davis, and Marlon Brando have been forced by commercial pressures to compromise and distort their uniqueness, or give up their artistic careers. Here at Keaton, the journey from the freelance creative team under Sckenck to signing a demanding contract with MGM is particularly sad.
Buster’s voice doesn’t match his silent character image—his voice is low and hoarse, sometimes torn, and belongs to a drunk man. But if MGM gives him enough freedom, maybe he can achieve transformation. In many ways, Buster is Godard in the 1920s, Rossellini in the comical era-he must improvise. He can't use a pre-written book-this is not his way of working. The studio system ruthlessly destroyed him. After making several commercially successful but low-quality audio films, he was fired in 1933 by MGM's excuse for not serious alcoholism. The movie failed completely. His wife Natalie Talmadge divorced him in revenge. He lost his mansion, children, career and life. Buster has seen himself as a loser for a long time, accepting any film-Colombian horror films, MGM educational films or some joke writing work. In the 1940s, he also appeared as a small character and became a tragic and aging face in the crowd. One of the most beautiful faces in life is the ruins after destruction. Subsequently, the television industry gave him some financial support.
"I never thought that we would be down here," he wrote in "Stage Spring and Autumn Limelig"ht" (Chaplin, 1952) said to Chaplin. Both of them have passed their peak period and become irrelevant in the sound film period, leaving nostalgia for youth and silent film era. In the early 1960s, he made some commercials and other similar things for Simon Pure Beer, such as three beach party movies with Frankie and Annette. Old and stale, he has long passed his own age, and seems to have a tone of voice. From 1930 to 1966, it was a torture for those who liked his silent film. But if we want to fully measure Keaton, these works are equally important.
Like Chaplin, he is naturally sensitive to movements, but unlike the "little tramp", he has extremely modern intuition, which pushes him to a realm that his peers have never reached. For a long time, he was regarded as an outdated laughter, with a blank expression and wearing a pie hat. But now his status has been reversed, thanks to the resurgence of pure cinema in the 20th century and a series of works proven by time. These works have replaced the artist in all aspects to tell us that he is painful and pure, numb and quiet, hopeful and cynical. Buster just wanted our laughter, and we got everything else.
Buster Keaton's film works list:
Buster Keaton's two-reel shorts with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle:
All films directed by Fatty Arbuckle and starringty Arbuckle and Bus Fatteraton .
The Butcher Boy (1917)
The Roughhouse (1917)
A Country Hero (1917)
Oh, Doctor! (1917)
His Wedding Night (1917 )
Coney Island (1917)
The Bell Boy (1918)
Moonshine (1918)
Out West (1918)
Good Night, Nurse! (1918)
The Cook (1918)
The Hayseed (1919)
Back Stage (1919)
The Garage (1919)
Buster Keaton silent shorts:
The High Sign (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
One Week (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
Convict 13 (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
The Scarecrow (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
Neighbors (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
The Haunted House (19 21) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
Hard Luck (1921) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
The Paleface (1921)
The Boat (1921)
The Playhouse (1921)
The Goat (1921) Co-directed with Malcolm St. Clair
Cops (1922) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
My Wife's Relations (1922)
The Frozen North (1922) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
The Electric House (1922) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
The Love Nest (1922) Co-directed with Eddie Cline
Buster Keaton features:
The Three Ages (1920) Co-directed with Eddie Cline. 80min
Our Hospitality (1923) Co-directed with Jack C. Blystone. 87min
Sherlock, Jr. (1924) 56min
The Navigator (1924) Co-directed with Donald Crisp. 78min
Seven Chances (1925) 80min
Go West (1924) ) 87min
Battling Butler (1926) 80min
The General (1926) Co-directed with Clyde Bruckman. 95min
College (1927) Co-directed with James W. Horne (uncredited). 85da
4 a#Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) Co-directed with Charles F. Reisner (uncredited). 77minBuster Keaton later shorts:
Pest from the West (1939) Dir: Del Lord (performer)
Nothing But Pleasure (1939) Dir: Jules White (performer)
The Taming of the Snood (1940) Dir: Jules White (performer)
Film (1965) Dir: Alan Schneider, written by Samuel Beckett (performer)
The Railrodder (1965, Canada) Co-directed with Gerald Potterton
Film about Buster Keaton:
Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965, Canada) Dir: John Spotton
