Great find! You Tube is better than any attic or junk shop. Like you, I'm getting to be an addict.
As I watched I had two recollections.
First was an episode on Candid Camera which featured Keaton as a customer at a breakfast counter. The camera was on a nearby customer who watched in disbelief as Keaton seemed to accidentally spill his coffee as he brought it to his lips, then without missing a beat reached for his toast which he then used to soak up the puddle, then squeezed the coffee back into the cup and did it all over again... never looking around or cracking a smile. It was "deadbeat comedy" at it's best.
Also, clips from those days reflect the cinematography perfected by Chaplin which eschewed any radical camera effects (zoom, fade, swoops, etc). Chaplin saw the camera as a window to a stage upon which actors and action took place. Special effects by the camera offended his artistic sensibilities.
(from John... I'm using "anon" because someone else is signed in)
2 comments:
Great find!
You Tube is better than any attic or junk shop. Like you, I'm getting to be an addict.
As I watched I had two recollections.
First was an episode on Candid Camera which featured Keaton as a customer at a breakfast counter. The camera was on a nearby customer who watched in disbelief as Keaton seemed to accidentally spill his coffee as he brought it to his lips, then without missing a beat reached for his toast which he then used to soak up the puddle, then squeezed the coffee back into the cup and did it all over again... never looking around or cracking a smile. It was "deadbeat comedy" at it's best.
Also, clips from those days reflect the cinematography perfected by Chaplin which eschewed any radical camera effects (zoom, fade, swoops, etc). Chaplin saw the camera as a window to a stage upon which actors and action took place. Special effects by the camera offended his artistic sensibilities.
(from John... I'm using "anon" because someone else is signed in)
I first saw Keaton's films a few years ago and was stunned at the creativity.
Chaplin, of course, is amazing. Both men had impeccable timing.
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