Buster Keaton, Silent Clown

Joseph Frank ‘Buster’ Keaton was born to Vaudevillian parents Joe and Myra on October 4th 1895 in Piqua, Kansas. At 18 months old he fell down the stairs and his apparent lack of injuries gained him the nickname “Buster.” By three he was an actor in his parents vaudeville act as a ‘human mop’ and from an early age realised the impact physical comedy performed completely deadpan had on an audience.

At 21, Buster ended up playing a small role in The Butcher Boy (1917) and then went on to work for its main star Roscoe Arbuckle; his job role labelled co-star a joke-writer. After coming back from WWI, he created his own independent short films starting with One Week (1920) and by 1923 had moved onto feature length films.

While working for Arbuckle, Keaton quickly established his curiosity not just as an actor, but as a filmmaker too. According to him the first thing he did when given his first job in the industry was “ask a thousand questions about the camera.” Unlike Lloyd or Chaplin who focused of the naturalism of the joke, Keaton ambitiously utilised new and expensive equipment (such as a rotation set house) to form more surreal comedy.

Keaton’s films are know for their action packed, pantomime style physical comedy. Because of his dislike of using title cards unless needed exposition, the narrative of his films were told through performance. To keep this comedy style original, he refused to do the same action twice- making every fall or fight different to express creativity.

In contrast to the slapstick comedy, throughout his career Keaton used his deadpan performance for comic effect, but his working class persona for relatability. Many of his films comment on societal issues and present him as a slightly subverted version of the American ‘Everyman’- playing the husband, the farmhand, the rejected boyfriend and many other roles that resonated with the audience.

To aid the visual comedy, camera angles and placement is crucial in all of Keaton’s films. The aim of this to focus on the joke above all else, and using the objects in the shot to contextualise it rather than as the crux of it. The camera almost used as a stage, using it as a finite frame where people walk in, out and have no awareness away from the lens. This then also gives possibility to Keaton’s “natural gags.” Improvising an amusing situation and just running with it on screen.

However, often these complicated stunts and jokes didn’t work as planned. This is where Keaton’s performer side would kick in and use the situation to make something funnier or link it to another joke. He would go to dangerous extremes for the gag- jumping off buildings, trains, rolling down hills etc. This is probably because of his childhood, and he truly believed the only way to make a joke look real is to actually perform it.

Over 100 years later, the integrity and commitment shown in his films still inspires filmmakers to this day. For example, in many of Wes Anderson’s films, geometry in the frame and deadpan reactions are used to highlight the overall comedy and wholesomeness of his films.