Buster Keaton in The Cameraman (1928)
Posted: July 20th, 2007, 11:24 pm
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I took this from another board I like to write reviews on...
Here we go... Buster Keaton. A cute little monkey. What more could you want? How much more 'cuteness' could you handle before just having to turn away from the screen out of overwhelming adorability?
The Cameraman, 1928
Buster Keaton (Buster) Marceline Day (Sally) Harold Goodwin (Stagg) Sidney Bracy (Editor) Harry Gribbon (Cop) Edward Brophy (Man in changing room) Vernon Dent (Fat man in tight bathing suit)
There are many types of photographers in the world: war, fashion, news... Then there's Buster Keaton. He shoots 10c tin types for the general public (that is, anyone who will stand still long enough for him to take the shot). Finally he gets a customer! A young man is willing to take him up on the offer, but suddenly a crowd swarms him... In all the humanity knocking him about, he gets scrunched next to the most beautiful lady he's ever seen. Instantaneously smitten, after the crowd suddenly departs he pleads for her to allow him to take a photograph. "I make them look just like you, miss," he says. His camera looks like it came straight out of the 1800's, but he is not deterred.
Finally, she agrees.
This begins a whole string of events, where he tries to find someway to become a part of her life. His character is so sweet and sincere, but quite eccentric. Sort of a fumbling fellow, alot like Lloyd's characterizations. In fact, the entire time I was watching this movie I couldn't believe how much it reminded me of Lloyd's comedy. It's not that different from Keaton's other works, but he seems a bit more of a humble guy... And you may ask how Keaton could get anymore humble than in his earlier comedies. Somehow he accomplishes it here, a bit more pitiful perhaps. You feel pain when those around him laugh and mock him.
Keaton plays the guy everyone wonders about. Ever known one of those people that you are just not sure where they are coming from? They are odd, and you don't know whether to dig deeper into who they are or just run? Here is one of those people, but once you get by the eccentricity you find they have feelings and longings just like everybody else. That's how I felt when I watched this film, I felt sorrow for anyone I have ever laughed at or made fun of just because they were different. Everyone does that at some point in their life, right? I know I have.
There's a spot in this movie I just got the biggest kick out of as a Keaton fan... It's got to be the scene where he is in the baseball park! Keaton, playing baseball with himself and an imaginary ball - It doesn't get any better than that!
Wait, that is until Buster runs full force into a organ grinder and his monkey. After hurrying to his feet, off to catch a news story, everyone suddenly realizes there has been a casualty of the hit: A cute litte monkey!
"You kill-a de monk!" says the grinder, and poor Buster has to pull out all his dimes just so he can take the dead primate with him. But - Just as he sets the little guy down (who I have heard was named Josephine), he comes to life. After rubbing the bump on his poor little head, he then clings to Buster for the rest of this wonderful movie.
Buster with Josephine on the set:
There are so many bright spots in this film, I can't sit here and type them out... There's the one where Buster loses his suit in the pool, where he has to pull out all his dimes to pay for a ticket stub, and the most memorable image: Buster shutting his eyes in overwhelming affection as he stares over his tin type machine at Sally - A moment featured in the beginning of TCM's Silent Sunday Nights spot. If you have any amount of interest in Keaton or silents, please make sure you catch this one when it airs on the 30th of August. I've only seen it once thus far, but it is pure cinema magic. All this before Keaton wore into the most trying years of his life. This was the very beginning of his trials at MGM, but luckily this one seemed to go unscathed by Leo.
So, I loved it... It's my favorite movie. Did I mention Buster rocks?
I took this from another board I like to write reviews on...
Here we go... Buster Keaton. A cute little monkey. What more could you want? How much more 'cuteness' could you handle before just having to turn away from the screen out of overwhelming adorability?
The Cameraman, 1928
Buster Keaton (Buster) Marceline Day (Sally) Harold Goodwin (Stagg) Sidney Bracy (Editor) Harry Gribbon (Cop) Edward Brophy (Man in changing room) Vernon Dent (Fat man in tight bathing suit)
There are many types of photographers in the world: war, fashion, news... Then there's Buster Keaton. He shoots 10c tin types for the general public (that is, anyone who will stand still long enough for him to take the shot). Finally he gets a customer! A young man is willing to take him up on the offer, but suddenly a crowd swarms him... In all the humanity knocking him about, he gets scrunched next to the most beautiful lady he's ever seen. Instantaneously smitten, after the crowd suddenly departs he pleads for her to allow him to take a photograph. "I make them look just like you, miss," he says. His camera looks like it came straight out of the 1800's, but he is not deterred.
Finally, she agrees.
This begins a whole string of events, where he tries to find someway to become a part of her life. His character is so sweet and sincere, but quite eccentric. Sort of a fumbling fellow, alot like Lloyd's characterizations. In fact, the entire time I was watching this movie I couldn't believe how much it reminded me of Lloyd's comedy. It's not that different from Keaton's other works, but he seems a bit more of a humble guy... And you may ask how Keaton could get anymore humble than in his earlier comedies. Somehow he accomplishes it here, a bit more pitiful perhaps. You feel pain when those around him laugh and mock him.
Keaton plays the guy everyone wonders about. Ever known one of those people that you are just not sure where they are coming from? They are odd, and you don't know whether to dig deeper into who they are or just run? Here is one of those people, but once you get by the eccentricity you find they have feelings and longings just like everybody else. That's how I felt when I watched this film, I felt sorrow for anyone I have ever laughed at or made fun of just because they were different. Everyone does that at some point in their life, right? I know I have.
There's a spot in this movie I just got the biggest kick out of as a Keaton fan... It's got to be the scene where he is in the baseball park! Keaton, playing baseball with himself and an imaginary ball - It doesn't get any better than that!
Wait, that is until Buster runs full force into a organ grinder and his monkey. After hurrying to his feet, off to catch a news story, everyone suddenly realizes there has been a casualty of the hit: A cute litte monkey!
"You kill-a de monk!" says the grinder, and poor Buster has to pull out all his dimes just so he can take the dead primate with him. But - Just as he sets the little guy down (who I have heard was named Josephine), he comes to life. After rubbing the bump on his poor little head, he then clings to Buster for the rest of this wonderful movie.
Buster with Josephine on the set:
There are so many bright spots in this film, I can't sit here and type them out... There's the one where Buster loses his suit in the pool, where he has to pull out all his dimes to pay for a ticket stub, and the most memorable image: Buster shutting his eyes in overwhelming affection as he stares over his tin type machine at Sally - A moment featured in the beginning of TCM's Silent Sunday Nights spot. If you have any amount of interest in Keaton or silents, please make sure you catch this one when it airs on the 30th of August. I've only seen it once thus far, but it is pure cinema magic. All this before Keaton wore into the most trying years of his life. This was the very beginning of his trials at MGM, but luckily this one seemed to go unscathed by Leo.
So, I loved it... It's my favorite movie. Did I mention Buster rocks?