Friday Oct. 5:
The short, Daydreams, screened after the full-length since the band had to leave early. Daydreams is in bad shape. Not only is it missing pieces, but the frame rate is wrong/interpolated at times, making some scenes resemble the blurry, choppy caricature that some people still think all silent films look like. Those of us in the know are well aware that this is not only a lie, but a downright shame. If anyone thinks of a film like The Navigator as inferior to modern comedies…
The Navigator is non-stop funny and the print was in great shape. This film boasts some of the great Keaton routines, including the miniature canon that is tied to his foot and the submarine at the end of the film. The Carol Beth trio played some very nice backing piano jazz, with an unfortunate Disney or West Side Story song here and there.
Saturday Oct.6:
The Paleface DVD shown had a few elements taken from a much poorer source (looked like upsampled VHS), but the film is great. I’ve always found it interesting that while Native Americans were still common film villains for another 25 years, Keaton’s film, while not always politically correct, portrays them sympathetically as victims of a greedy oil conglomerate. Somehow the villain’s diabolic nature hasn’t diminished over time.
Go West was elevated to brand new heights with much owed to The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra. Information on them is fairly sparse, but I can say that this was the greatest live scoring I’ve ever experienced. They sounded like a slightly less modern version of The Dirty Three. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good violin, but I would gladly pay for a recording of their performance. The film was good. The hilarity of Buster Keaton riding a cow through Los Angeles while wearing a skin-tight devil costume can never be underestimated. But, when paired with the Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra, it is a near-masterpiece.
Sunday Oct. 7:
Neighbors is a terrific short, nearly all of it consisting of gags set in the alley between two houses. Instead of Keaton’s usual running/chase gags, many of the gags are vertical, adding a fresh bit of creativity to his repertoire.
Seven Chances with Ron Bryant on piano was probably my favorite full-length so far. The Navigator was close, even winning, until the unbelievable thousand dumpy wife chase and those almost unfathomably long takes with the falling boulders. I pity anyone who has to see this on a small screen. The 35mm print proved that the last 15 minutes of the film do not only contain comic genius, but also a latent filmmaking virtuosity that often gets overlooked when discussing Keaton the director. If Keaton had been allowed to continue directing into the sound era, I firmly believe we would have seen him make some great strides in the formal precepts of filmmaking.
Next weekend are some more big ones…
In the meantime, feed your addiction over at alt.silent.movies.
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