SHERLOCK JR. / THE CAMERAMAN
Live piano accompaniment by Cliff Retallick.
SHERLOCK JR.
1924, Douris Corp., 45 min, USA, Dir: Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton’s sublime comedy about reality and illusion, in which projectionist Buster literally dreams himself into the detective movie he’s screening! A film with myriad technical feats (including the illusion of Keaton “climbing” into a movie screen). Keaton reportedly broke his neck during filming while performing a dangerous stunt on a ladder hanging over a giant water basin. “Is this, as some critics have argued, an example of primitive American surrealism? Sure. But let’s not get fancy about it. It is more significantly a great example of American minimalism – simple objects and movement manipulated in casually complex ways to generate a steadily rising gale of laughter.” – Time
THE CAMERAMAN
1928, Warner Bros., 69 min, USA, Dir: Buster Keaton
Buster has a huge crush on Sally, an adorable office worker for MGM Newsreels. Buster gives up his tintyping job and gets himself a camera, with a new plan to catch the attention of both Sally and MGM. The novice cameraman is in the right place at the right time to capture on film a Tong war smack in the middle of Chinatown – and must narrowly escape plenty of disasters, Buster-style! In a clever meta-comment on impressing the studios, this delightful comedy was originally an MGM production.