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In Reply to: Hope someone mentioned Chaplin and Keaton. Because, my God... posted by clarkjohnsen on February 18, 2004 at 15:19:32:
And, like James Agee (the only major critic who agrees, to my knowledge), and unlike virtually everyone else I prefer Keaton. The comedy was pure and did not resort to "pulling on the heart strings".I really admire that.
Follow Ups:
AS I posted above I am with you in prefering Keaton. Although in both "Sherlock, Jr." and "The General" our heart strings are pulled.
well, sympathetically vibrated might be more appropos. . . but it is not harped upon. Agee's real point, and mine (and probably yours), is that Chaplain based his whole characterisation on "tugging the heart strings". And it is the plaintive cry of that the little tramp that resonates. Keaton does not. His characters are not "plaintive". They . . . actually I should say it . . . never asks for sympathy. Chaplain's character does. Keaton's character is the everyman who bumbles and fights his way to success. As with Agee, one of my favourite images is Keaton standing immobile, trusting and unflinching in the prow of of the little boat as it is launched, never even pretends to float, and sinks leaving Keaton's hat on the water.Actually, one of my favourite Keaton films is "The Three Ages of Man", which I had the good fortune to see in the Old Elgin Theatre in Chelsea (Manhattan) in their annual Keaton festival (same place I saw El Topo numerous times BTW)*. The restoration had cost a lot of money as the silver nitrate negatives are, to say the least, volatile. The audience was laughing its backside off.
*Great festival, that. I saw all the best known silent comedy films (including Lloyd and Chaplain) many times there, in addition to many less famous outings. And, I saw them with an audience, which I think is important in in silent comedy. It is long gone now, reborn as the Joyce which does live theatre and dance. There is no replacement nor is one planned.
a
Buster strikes a similar pose toward the end of "Sherlock, Jr." when, after the car chase, the car is sinking in water.
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