Buster Keaton Remembered - Hardcover

Eleanor Keaton; Jeffrey Vance

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810942275 ISBN 13: 9780810942271

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2001

Synopsis

Honoring the cinematic contributions of silent film comedian Buster Keaton, a personal look at an icon of American film traces Keaton's career, from vaudeville, through his early short films, to his later work on sound films, in an intriguing, anecdotal study of a great artist and entertainer at work.

About this title

About the Author:

ELEANOR KEATON (1918–1998) was a dancer in musicals for nearly every major film studio in Hollywood, where she was born and raised. She married Buster Keaton in 1940.

JEFFREY VANCE is co-author, with Lita Grey Chaplin, of Wife of the Life of the Party, a work on Charlie Chaplin. A film archivist and authority on silent comedy, he has lectured extensively on screen legends Chaplin and Keaton and has been involved in the restoration of Keaton’s classics.

KEVIN BROWNLOW is a well-known expert on silent films and the author of Abrams’ Mary Pickford Rediscovered.

From Library Journal:

As it did with 1999's Mary Pickford Rediscovered (LJ 9/15/99), the publisher raids the archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present a lavish photographic tribute, in this case to silent film comedian Buster Keaton (1895-1966). Comprising formal and behind-the-scenes stills, staged publicity shots, and previously unpublished personal photos, this book is the most comprehensive pictorial retrospective on Keaton to date. In contrast to the Pickford book, however, the quality of the text and illustrations is not entirely balanced. Whereas in the former publication, Kevin Brownlow provided a thorough retrospective from both historical and critical standpoints, here he contributes only the afterword. As a result, the book doesn't delve into Keaton's technical prowess as an innovator of films whose complex sight gags, integrated narratives, and overall visual style transcended slapstick comedy so much as it celebrates his achievements as a performer. But while the biographical material and film synopses are less scintillating than the photographs, they do not detract from this gorgeous testament to a legend and to the often overlooked achievements of film curators and preservationists. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. Jayne Plymale, Univ. of Georgia, Athens
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0810942275
• ISBN 13: 9780810942271
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240