Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Auricle (A) on February 19, 2004 at 09:55:08

In Reply to: Re: As do Keaton's, though usually in festivals posted by rico on February 19, 2004 at 06:52:31:

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.