The Best Films of Buster Keaton

1. The General
2. Steamboat Bill Jr.
3. Sherlock Jr.
4. Seven Chances
5. Our Hospitality
6. The Cameraman
7. The Navigator
8. Go West
9. Three Ages
10. College
11. Sunset Boulevard
12. Limelight
13. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Not including his shorts

Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Updated

"Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. It's about five o'clock in the morning. That's the Homicide Squad - complete with detectives and newspapermen. A murder has been reported from one of those great big houses in the ten thousand block. You'll read about it in the late editions, I'm sure. You'll get it over your radio and see it on television because an old-time star is involved - one of the biggest. But before you hear it all distorted and blown out of proportion, before those Hollywood columnists get their hands on it, maybe you'd like to hear the facts, the whole truth."

So begins one of the most caustic dramas ever constructed in Hollywood or about Hollywood and it was gifted to us by screenwriter-director extraordinaire Billy Wilder. His previous hard-edged film-noir Double Indemnity had its own cynical narrator with a memorable voice-over of his own. However, Walter Neff was only on the verge of dying, when we hear the voice of Joe Gillis he is already speaking from the grave. It is a fantastic angle in which to look at this seemingly perfect Hollywood construction and Gillis never ceases to tell his story until we wind up at the pool as the story comes to a close.

For now we learn that six month back Joe (William Holden)  is a writer who is having difficulties being published and some men want to repossess his car. Desperate, he pays a visit to a friend at Paramount named Mandrake to pitch an idea, but the script is of little merit according to a pretty young script reader. That's a dead end so Joe leaves, but the men are waiting for him and he zooms away. A flight tire leads him to drive away into an empty garage connected to a dilapidated old mansion of Sunset Boulevard. 

There he is mistakenly introduced to drama queen Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who used to be big on the silent screen back in the day. Now all she has is money, fan letters and old memories to rehash while her butler Max (Erich von Stroheim) watches over her. The theatrical actress believes her big comeback is soon at hand and when she learns Joe is a writer she takes interest. He needs the money so he takes a look at her rough script meant to be a vehicle for her. A small commitment turns into a life consuming undertaking. Desmond constantly hovers and dotes over Joe going so far as having his things moved into her home and buying him new clothes and trinkets. He reluctantly accepts the first class treatment, not minding the cushy lifestyle. But to Norma its more. 

He is her closest companion and her love. Joe cannot bear to tell her that she is washed up and that there will never be anything between them. He ditches her intimate New Years party for a more friendly affair where he crosses path with his old bud Artie (Jack Webb) and his girl the critical script girl Betty Schaeffer (Nancy Olson). She takes an interest in a few of his past ideas, but he does not and after getting shocking news from Max he is pulled back to his lavish prison.

Eventually Norma is prepared to drop off her script with her former collaborator the great Cecil B. DeMille. However, it becomes all too clear that her story will amount to nothing, but her friend cannot bear to break her heart. She is sent off again with the strong conviction that her day is coming. Makeover's, diets and facials follow in preparation. Joe is indifferent to it all and secretly begins working at nights with Betty on a new screenplay. 

Desmond finds the script and jealously takes over causing her to call Betty to ruin the romance that is rapidly budding there. Joe hears it all and angrily tells the disbelieving Betty to come see his set-up on Sunset Boulevard. He acts as if he likes the life and Betty leaves brokenhearted. Soon after a fed up Joe packs his bags to head back to Ohio. Thus, begins the systematic breakdown that we had expected for so long. Norma Desmond completely falls apart and does the one thing she knows to hold on. 

Back in the present the crowds and journalists have turned out to see the has been movie star who is stark raving mad, and one last time Norma does not disappoint. She glides seamlessly down the stairs with a serenely ethereal look on her face before preparing for her closeup. So ends the career of one Norma Desmond and the life of Joe Gillis. We can only hope that Betty got together again with Artie otherwise this would remain one of the bleakest tales of all time.

However, that is part of the power of this film. It is strangely dark and ominous. Franz Waxman's score is fit for a Gothic melodrama  and Desmond's mansion is a creaky old foreboding castle that hardly sees the light of day. Max is a solemn figure who we learn brought Norma stardom, married her, got divorced and then could not live without her. Joe Gillis gets caught in a cycle he cannot get out of and in the middle of the whole mess is Desmond herself. She is so preoccupied with herself, so obsessed with her own former glory, and yet she is an lonely, insecure aging actress. In many way she is Citizen Kane's female counterpoint. A person with so much money, prestige and power who slowly drifts away into oblivion without anyone caring except hungry journalists. Much in the same way, although Norma is so petty and vain in so many ways, I cannot feel sorry for her existence. She is an utterly pitiful person in the end. No one deserves her fate.

In this way Sunset Boulevard seems to critique Hollywood a place that make stars like Norma Desmond and spit them back out just as easily. It is not easily figured out or understood it just does at is pleases. For instance Billy Wilder became an immigrant writer and director of great repute. Cecil B. Demille was a longtime respected director. Erich von Stroheim had early success with silent films then had to turn to acting. Gloria Swanson was a silent star then struggled in the 1930s. William Holden broke out in the 30s, hit is peak in the 1950s and continued to act into the 70s. Nancy Olson went on to make a few classic Disney movies and Jack Webb of course went on to create the TV Show Dragnet. Each Hollywood career starkly different from the others. 

 There is also such an authenticity in this film so much so that sometimes the line between fiction and reality is blurred. First, Wilder cast Gloria Swanson to play former silent star Norma Desmond in the film, so it seems like she is playing herself (Complete with old promotional photos and silent footage). He also had appearances by both von Stroheim and Demille who had directed Swanson in her silent days. Some of Desmond's bridge friends include other real silent stars including Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner and the legendary Buster Keaton (His career had also crumbled). Even gossip columnist Hedda Hopper gets into the mix to tell the tragic story of Desmond and it all works. 

So whether you watch Sunset Boulevard for the Hollywood side, or as a film-noir, or a love story, or a tragic drama, the beauty of it is that it functions as all of those things simultaneously. Gloria Swanson is absolutely loopy, William Holden is as cynical as ever with his smoked-out gravelly voice. Von Stroheim is haunting as the faithful Max and Nancy Olson is the one young friendly face in juxtaposition with Swanson. 

Billy Wilder's script with Charles Brackett is inspired a multitude of times, but instead of telling you I will give you a taste: 

"There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!"

That's Norma Desmond in a nutshell for you. That's Sunset Blvd.

5/5 Stars

Seven Chances (1925)

We've seen a derivative of this story many times before but thanks to Buster Keaton, Seven Chances has a lot of marvelous comedic moments created by his wonderful physical ability.

The story goes something like this: Boy meets girl and he loves her but never makes his move. Now he has the chance at $7 million if he gets married before his 27th birthday. But that's today so all he has to do is marry his sweetheart Mary. It sounds so easy until he complicates the whole situation with muddled words and misunderstandings.

Now he only has a matter of time to find another bride. His law partner puts down a line of candidates and he strikes out each time earning a face full of laughs in reply. Even the secretary and coat attendant turn him down his pitiful plea.

He drives off desperate for a bride and his buddies put an ad in the paper sure to grab him a wife. Jimmy waits patiently at the church, but there's a problem. Hundreds of women show up and soon turn into a mob bent on clobbering him for making fools of them.

Then and there begins one of the grandest, most epic and extraordinary chase scenes of all time. Forget Bullitt or The French Connection, this is the seminal chase scene. It's mind boggling to think how many extras they used and all dressed in drag no less. It is difficult not to marvel at Keaton's physical prowess because that is where he tops Chaplin. He's fantastic at scampering about, sliding around and making pitfalls in general, given the right environment. Soon the world becomes his playground with coattails flying and droves of angry women hot on his heels.

He hitches a ride on the spare tire of a car, dangles from a crane, does frantic Australian crawl across a pond, rides a falling tree and of course dodges an avalanche of fake looking boulders. All I can say is Keaton could have been a professional dodge ball player but we can be thankful he stayed with film. He was pretty decent at comedy too.

Needless to say Jimmy gets back in the nick of time or did he? Of course he did! It seems like he's the only one who cannot plant a kiss on the bride. At least he has one now and Mary is far more important than the money. That's all that really matters.

Chaplin was great because his Tramp had so much expression. The Great Stone Face was great for the exact opposite reason; he lacked it. His nervous fidgeting or obvious dismay in all situations heightens the comedy making the laughs even more hilarious.

His two buddies are a comical pair in their own right with their differing heights and good-natured blunders. They get caught up in Jimmy's unfortunate predicament and get knocked about a bit as well.

Keaton may have had greater films, but in his golden age during the 1920s, he could hardly do any wrong. Seven Chance has one of the greatest sustained comedy sequences  of any of his films and it does showcase his skills. He gave Chaplin a run for his money, literally.

4.5/5 Stars

The General (1926)

This silent film starring the great Buster Keaton, tells a simple story with comical results. Keaton is Johnnie Gray, a Southern engineer who loves his locomotive and his girl. As it turns out Union spies steal his train, The General, and they also take his love captive. Now Johnnie must track them down and save his fair southern belle. After many a comedic antic, Keaton finds himself behind enemy lines and he is now on the run. However, he does eventually get the girl and then warns the Confederates that the Union forces are coming. Because of his great bravery, he is rewarded with the rank of Lieutenant even though he was not enlisted. Although this film might seem slow to the modern audience, if put in context the, the bouncy score, the slapstick comedy, and Keaton can all be enjoyable. "The Great Stone Face" was one of the few who gave Chaplin a run for his money.

                            4/5 Stars

Keaton and Lloyd

I have been well acquainted with the films of Charlie Chaplin which always seem to couple romance and comedy so nicely with the character of the Tramp.

However, I had seen very little of Buster Keaton and I had only heard of the name Harold Lloyd. Recently I have finally had the pleasure of taking in more of their work and I must say I have a new appreciation for them. With their respective films it is understandable how they were able to give Chaplin a run for his money. Keaton always appears as a solemn figure whether he is a Confederate soldier, a detective, and so on. He does not try and win our sympathy or affection but he is always determined to take on whatever his world throws at him. His various hilarious and often life-threatening antics cause us to cheer for his characters and in turn we also grow to respect Keaton for his talent as an actor and a director. (Recently I have been able to see Sherlock Jr., Steamboat Bill Jr., and Our Hospitality).

Then, there is Harold Lloyd, the number three man of the silent era comedians. Lloyd had his own persona that he developed to perfection. He was the nerdish fellow who always wore the same pair of glasses and the same hat. He makes us laugh because of his naivete and various antics including scaling a building only to dangle from a clock (Lloyd actually only had eight fingers to accomplish this feat because of an accident). This  causes us to empathize with him much like we would with Chaplin, but their styles could never be confused with each other. (I was able to watch Safety Last! and The Freshman).

That is the beauty of these three men because each one created his own legend and so each one is an icon in his own right. People might fight over who is the best of the group, but really there is no comparison since they all went in different directions. Although these films may be an acquired taste, I hope to be able to watch more in the future sometime!