old cinema

Born Joseph Francis Keaton on October 4, 1895, was an American director and actor who became famous for various comedy scenes that are still repeated in films today. You may recognize him from the nickname "the man with the stone face". He is known as a director, screenwriter and actor in famous silent comedies such as "The General" and "The Navigator".

Keaton was born into a vaudeville family in Piqua, Kansas. His name Joseph didn't come out of nowhere, it was a family tradition from his father's side. The nickname Buster was invented by Harry Houdini (a friend of his parents) when little Buster fell down the stairs and instead of crying or reacting in any way, he got up and moved on (The nickname was also a reference to the fact that he often caused trouble as a child). At the age of three, Keaton began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons. He first appeared on stage in 1899 in Wilmington, Delaware. The act was mainly a comedy sketch. Despite his run-ins with the law, Keaton was a rising and relatively well-paid theater star. He stated that he learned to read and write late and was taught by his mother. When he was 21, his father's alcoholism threatened the reputation of the family actor, 20, so Keaton and his mother Myra went to New York, where Keaton's career quickly moved from vaudeville to film. Keaton served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France in the United States Army's 40th Infantry Division during World War I. His unit remained intact and was not broken up to provide replacements, as had been the case with some other late-arriving divisions. While in uniform, he contracted an ear infection that permanently damaged his hearing. Keaton was such a natural in his first film, "Butcher Boy," that he was hired on the spot. Finally, he asked to borrow one of the cameras to see how it worked. He took the camera back to his hotel room, where he disassembled and reassembled it by morning. He appeared in a total of 14 Arbuckle shorts, running into 1920. They were popular, and contrary to Keaton's later reputation as "The Great Stone Face", he often smiled and even laughed in them. In 1920, The Saphead was released, marking Keaton's first starring role in a feature-length feature film. After Keaton's successful collaboration with Arbuckle, Schenck gave him his own production unit, Buster Keaton Productions. He made a series of 19 two-reel comedies, including One Week (1920), The Playhouse (1921), Cops (1922), and The Electric House (1922).

The more adventurous ideas called for dangerous stunts, performed by Keaton at great physical risk. During the railroad water-tank scene in Sherlock Jr. (gags written by Clyde Bruckman), Keaton broke his neck when a torrent of water fell on him from a water tower, but he did not realize it until years afterwards. A scene from Steamboat Bill, Jr. required Keaton to stand still on a particular spot. Then, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. Keaton's character emerged unscathed, due to a single open window. The stunt required precision, because the prop house weighed two tons, and the window only offered a few inches of clearance around Keaton's body. The sequence furnished one of the most memorable images of his career. Aside from Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton's most enduring feature-length films include Three Ages (1923), Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924), Sherlock Jr. (1924), Seven Chances (1925), The Cameraman (1928), and The General (1926). The General, set during the American Civil War, combined physical comedy with Keaton's love of trains, including an epic locomotive chase. Employing picturesque locations, the film's storyline reenacted an actual wartime incident. Though it would come to be regarded as Keaton's greatest achievement, the film received mixed reviews at the time. It was too dramatic for some filmgoers expecting a lightweight comedy, and reviewers questioned Keaton's judgment in making a comedic film about the Civil War, even while noting it had a "few laughs." it was an expensive dud, His distributor, United Artists, insisted on a production manager who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements. Keaton endured this treatment for two more feature films, and then exchanged his independent setup for employment at Hollywood's biggest studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Keaton's loss of independence as a filmmaker coincided with the coming of sound films (although he was interested in making the transition) and mounting personal problems, and his career in the early sound era was hurt as a result.

I guess that's it for Buster's success.

Keaton died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, aged 70, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in January 1966, he was never told he was terminally ill. Keaton thought that he was recovering from a severe case of bronchitis. Confined to a hospital during his final days, Keaton was restless and paced the room endlessly, desiring to return home. In a British television documentary about his career, his widow Eleanor told producers from Thames Television that Keaton was up out of bed and moving around, and even played cards with friends who came to visit the day before he died. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.

Keaton was presented with a 1959 Academy Honorary Award at the 32nd Academy Awards, held in April 1960. Keaton has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 6619 Hollywood Boulevard (for motion pictures); and 6225 Hollywood Boulevard (for television).

Three Ages (1923)

Our Hospitality (1923)

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

The Navigator (1924)

Seven Chances (1925)

The Cameraman (1928)

Go West (1925)

Battling Butler (1926)

The General (1926)

College (1927)

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Spite Marriage (1929)

I was a little inactive here, but today I was inspired to continue this account and continue to promote old films that the world is slowly forgetting about.

I was able to watch "Enter The Dragon" today 53 years after the release of the iconic film. Master Bruce Lee inspired me, and just as he shared his passion, we all need to follow the dream.

Bruce Lee made films for people like us, for those who don't believe in themselves, and for those in whom society doesn't believe in, he wanted to show us that we can do anything.

This photo from a expressionist movie directed by Robert Wiene, under the title "The Hands of Orlack". Is a 1924 Austrian silent movie, it's based on the book by Maurice Renard, under the title "Les Mains d'Orlac".

This is very good movie (like all those directed by Wiene), it have a frightening style and disturbing moments, that stimulate the imagination. For such an old film that is an expressionist horror it is really well done and thought out. The appearance of the characters and the disturbing thoughts and visions that Veidt sees in the film are brilliantly done and really allow you to get into the plot. the script is also well done, apart from the fact that it is based on a book, I really liked the plot of how Paul Orlac (Conrad Veidt) did not recognize his hands and how he reacted to the fact that he now has the hands of a fraudster and a thief. Of course, the actors also played very well: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Kortner, Carmen Cartellieri, Hans Homma and other.

I have no reservations about the film, it is brilliantly made, like many of Wiene's films. It is definitely worth your attention and watching, especially since it is another expressionist work of the 20s. I recommend watching it with attention and getting into the role of the titular Orlac.

time for a summary

The shocking story of a pianist who, after losing his hand in a train crash, is "gifted" by an experimental surgeon with the hands of a famous serial killer. The artist, tossing and turning in madness, desperately tries to fight the limbs that drive him to crime.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a production that everyone must know and watch.

A film from 1940 that aims to satirize the approach of Hitler and Benito and the ideology of Fascism. It is quite bold for its time and raises important topics.

The film has a really great cast, including: Charlie Chaplin as Adenoid Hynkel and Tomani dictator, Jack Oakie as Benzino Napaloni, Paulette Goddard as Hannah, Henry Daniell as Garbitsch and others.

The Dictator is Chaplin's first fully sound film, which was initially supposed to be titled "The Dictator", However, Paramout had the rights to it and demanded $25,000 for it, but Charlie said he wouldn't pay that much for two words.

As we know, the main character is inspired by a real historical figure and in a country where this figure had such important influence, the film was banned until 1998. Charlie didn't speak German in the film, he just improvised, which is why the initial speech is not written in the script. During Hynkel's speech, the only intelligible word is "Schnitzel". Chaplin later joked that it was simply the only German word he knew. The idea for the film came from Chaplin's friend Alexander Kord, who first noticed that the Tramp's character resembled Hitler. Only then did Chaplin notice that he was born in the same week as Hitler, that he was almost the same height as him and the same weight.

Of course, September 1, 1939 is a terrible date. I am of Polish origin and my relatives experienced it quite hard, as did my country. However, I think that the film is really good and shows the views of the dwarf Austrian in a funny way, and the final speech is really very moving and worth remembering. It's very beautiful that someone dared to make fun of this monster.

Time for a summary.

Adenoid Hynkel comes to power in Tomania. He wants to take over the entire world, but the neighboring country, Austerlich, stands in his way. Hynkel plans an invasion, but he is short of money. He's trying to get money from Jewish bankers. When they refuse to grant a loan, he decides to take revenge on all the Jews. At this time, the dictator forms an alliance with Benzino Napaloni, the leader of Bacteria. The repression also affects the hairdresser, who looks very similar to the dictator. Stormtroopers set his shop on fire, and the barber himself is sent to a concentration camp, but escapes from there in Hynkel's uniform. Meanwhile, Adenoid Hynkel is hunting ducks. By accident, the dictator is arrested by the police and his place is taken by a hairdresser in Hynkel's uniform. He gives a peace speech at the rally.

The film is worth watching and I have it on DVD and I like to come back to it from time to time.