Filling a major gap in the critical canon, "Keaton's Classic
Shorts: Beyond the Laughter" chronicles the rapid growth in the
filmmaker's understanding of what makes both comedy and film
successful. Keaton developed his major themes in these nineteen
silent short films shot between 1920 and 1923, creating his persona
"Buster" with his trademark stone face. These short films clearly
indicate Keaton's love of the camera and his concern for
composition, symmetry, and images that delight the eye and startle
the mind.
Oldham reconstructs each of these rarely seen films to enable
the reader to "watch" Keaton's performance, devoting a separate
chapter to each. She analyzes each film's strengths, weaknesses,
and prevalent themes and threads. She also enables readers to plumb
the depths of what seems to be surface comedy through
philosophical, biographical, historical, and critical commentary,
thus linking the shorts together into a cohesive study of Buster
Keaton's growth through his three-year independent venture as a
filmmaker. Beyond the laughter and beyond the great stone face,
Oldham presents a treasure of cinema comedy and a unique philosophy
of life as captured by a great filmmaker.
General
Imprint: |
Southern Illinois University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
August 2010 |
First published: |
August 2010 |
Authors: |
Gabriella Oldham
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 157 x 24mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
250 |
Edition: |
2nd |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8093-3002-7 |
Categories: |
Books >
Arts & Architecture >
Performing arts >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8093-3002-4 |
Barcode: |
9780809330027 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!