TCF112/Silent Film Comedy

Silent Film Comedy Kings

• Charlie Chaplin
• Harold Lloyd
• Buster Keaton

Keaton Chronology

• Born 1895 as Joseph Keaton
• Vaudeville
  • Joe & Myra Keaton--"The 3 Keatons"
  • Nicknamed "Buster" by Harry Houdini, the magician and escape artist
• 1917-20 Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
  • Began making films--shorts, 2 reelers
    • 20 mins. each
• 1920 Keaton Film Co. founded
  • 2-reelers
  • Screen persona established
• 1923-29 Feature films
  • 1-2 films per year
  • Comprise the "mature" Keaton work
• 1930's Career declines sharply
  • Not due to his voice
    1. Signed control over to MGM
       • They put him in bad films
    2. Alcoholism

Characteristics of the Mature Keaton Films

• The Keaton Persona: Great StoneFace
  • Frozen facial expression, but body is active/mobile
  • Outsider, doesn't fit in
  • Appear weak or ineffectual
• Narrative structure
  • Symmetrical
    1. Equilibrium, stasis
       • Then, weaknesses cause trouble/problem
    2. Adapts, learns skills
    3. Applying new skills
• Theme
  1. Basic instability of the world
     • Duplicity
     • Transformation
  2. The Machine
• Keaton's Humor
  • Mise-en-scene
    • I.e., sets, lighting, costume design, props, blocking
    • 
      1. Slapstick, from Vaudeville
      2. Physical stunts
      3. Duplicities
      4. Transformations
  • Cinematography
    • Called "most filmic" silent comic
      1. Composition/framing
      2. Special effects