Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc

I'm in California till Wednesday and I pretty much work for awhile after that, so it will be awhile until I get to another one. If I don't chat don't be alarmed. But I was thinking of rewatching Modern Times next.

Cool, I don't have to stress about getting behind then. I will try and do another one of the Keaton's this week. That will probably be it.

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Letterboxd

I'm planning on watching The Son then Out of the Past then hopefully i'll get to Modern Times.

Going to cheat a bit and log three of the Keaton films together. I feel bad doing it, but I really am feeling close to the same about these movies. Keaton was the blockbuster director of his time. The stories are pretty much the same and very standard. Smart clumsy guy has to steal the girl by trying to out do the stronger, athletic, but dumb guy. He is so attached to this story he tells it three times in sixty minutes in Three Ages. Basically he moves from set piece to set piece, and how you feel about those will be reflected in how you rank his films. nothing wrong with that, but for me it mostly ends up keeping me at arm length.

The General



Easy to see why this one gets the most praise, it has the stunts with the highest degree of difficulty. I mostly enjoyed it. The shot of Keaton riding the wheels of the train is great.

College



Think this has been my favorite so far. Certainly gave me the most laughs. Probably the sports theme has a lot to do with my enjoyment. I don't know why but him fighting off his nemesis with all the silly moves he had learned in practice was delightful for me.

Three Ages



Definitely the less of when it comes to stunts. I like the concept though.

Dammit, sean

You want to hate me so bad, but you can't, we are Office buddies.

You're impossible! Just the worst.

And yet...

What's left for you then? I'll rewatch Modern Times on Thursday.

Cameraman, Limelight, rewatch of The Kid. I'm blanking on the other Chaplin that was Cob's choice.

Did you guys already watch Sherlock Jr?

Nobody chose it for this. I saw it for a HOF, pretty sure Raul did too. Felt pretty much the same. Two or three great moments mixed in with a lot of yawns.

I liked Sherlock Jr. A lot on my second watch.

Modern Times



I had seen this film the year I joined Mofo and I haven't revisited it until now. I feel bad because it's regarded as one of Chaplin's best but I do not see it as the full masterpiece that it is advertised as. I really like the beginning and there is a bit of charm to the ending of the film, but a lot of the middle is unfortunately dragged on for me. At times I feel Paulette Goddard is good and at times I feel like she wasn't the right pairing with Chaplin. But like I said the beginning of the film is iconic enough for that to give it a few stars alone, I really enjoyed the parts of the film in the factory. It's after that that I somewhat lose interest for what is actually happening in the film. But I can certainly see the full appeal behind the film.

The Cameraman



I really enjoyed it. Loved the chemistry between Keaton and Marceline Day. Thought a lot of it was funny and I liked the premise of the story. I do get how Sean thinks Keaton stories are very similar and in a way they are, but some are told more craftier than the others. I think I would put this one in the top 3. I don't have a whole lot to say about it though, so there is a chance that it could still be a forgettable film. But it was enjoyable.

Sorry missed these brother. I think you and I are in step with Modern Times, honestly could have been cut in half. Going to do Cameraman after Limelight me thinks.

I think this is my favorite Keaton thus far. It doesn't have the big set pieces but it brought more smiles to my face per scene. It follows a very similar story line but seems more intimate and consequently gives us more sweet moments. Good one to end Keaton on for me.

Glad you liked it Sean! Now this was a Keaton film full of charm!

Limelight for me next.

The plan is to do Limelight this weekend for me.

Very curious to see what you all think of Limelight. Buster Keaton makes an appearance in the film as well, in case you guys didn't know this yet!

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

Limelight



An excellent ode to finding oneself again and rekindling ones passions for life. Charlie Chaplin plays a former comedian named Calvero who saves a lady in his living complex from Suicide. That girl was Terry, brilliantly played by Claire Bloom. By him saving her life, it brought Calvero to look at his inner self and refund his passion for life as well. He got Bloom to believe in herself and resurrect a career as a ballerina for her. She also got him to see that his life was headed in the wrong path, as he was becoming an alcoholic, if he wasn't one already.

About the beginning of the film, it really set the rest of the film up well and was brilliantly done. This is some of Chaplins best camerawork. If you are looking for a guy who does it all, it starts with Chaplin.

I feel like there was a lot of importance to the film. It kind of resembles Chaplins career in a way, as he was such a successful silent director, he never gave up when the times were changing and he transitioned very well to dialogue film. It would have been easy for him to crumble, like some other silent directors had.

Underrated is the music in this film, which was a lot of credit to go to Chaplin. There is a lot of laughs in the film certainly (I was particularly fond of the flea scene), but what stood out to me was the amount of heart in the film. The ending felt very poetic, almost as if it was his own directorial swan song (although he made films after this, it still feels that way, maybe much like Grab Torino was for Eastwood).

I would probably mark this as my second favorite Chaplin. The Kid would have a chance to surprise this in the future but this was an entertaining and I feel important film.