Buster Keaton : Interviews

by Sweeney, Kevin W.

• ISBN13: 9781578069620
• ISBN10: 1578069629
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-06-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi

Summary

With his trademark porkpie hat, floppy shoes, and deadpan facial expression, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) is one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood's silent and early sound eras. His elaborate sets, careful camerawork, and risky pratfalls have been mimicked by film comedians for generations. His short films, includingOne WeekandCops, and his feature-length comedies, such asSherlock Jr.,Go West, andThe General, routinely appear on critics' lists of the greatest films of all time.Buster Keaton: Interviewscollects interviews from the beginning of his career in the 1920s to the year before his death. The pieces here provide a critical perspective on his acting and cinematic techniques. Although the collection begins in the 1920s, at the height of Keaton's career, they also give insight on his work in Hollywood and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Including pieces by Studs Terkel and Rex Reed, as well as a French interview that has never before appeared in English, the book is a valuable resource on one of cinema's early geniuses.Kevin W. Sweeney is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tampa.

Table of Contents

"Poor child!"	p. 3
The man who never smiles	p. 7
How Buster Keaton got that way	p. 9
Turning point interview with Buster Keaton	p. 12
"Anything can happen - and generally did" : Buster Keaton on his silent-film career	p. 32
An interview with Buster Keaton	p. 48
Interview with Buster Keaton	p. 62
Interview with Buster Keaton	p. 103
Interview with Buster Keaton	p. 108
Buster Keaton : an interview	p. 128
A dinner with Keaton	p. 147
Telescope : deadpan	p. 155
Buster Keaton	p. 164
Buster Keaton	p. 173
Keaton at Venice	p. 219
Keaton : still making the scene	p. 232
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