Buster Keaton: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series) (Paperback)

~ Kevin W. Sweeney (Editor)
Key Phrases: projecting room, handcuff king, head cameraman, New York, The Navigator, Buster Keaton (more...)

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Product Description

With his trademark porkpie hat, floppy shoes, and deadpan facial expression, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) is one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood's silent and early sound eras. His elaborate sets, careful camerawork, and risky pratfalls have been mimicked by film comedians for generations. His short films, including One Week and Cops, and his feature-length comedies, such as Sherlock Jr., Go West, and The General, routinely appear on critics' lists of the greatest films of all time.

Buster Keaton: Interviews collects interviews from the beginning of his career in the 1920s to the year before his death. The pieces here provide a critical perspective on his acting and cinematic techniques. Although the collection begins in the 1920s, at the height of Keaton's career, they also give insight on his work in Hollywood and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Including pieces by Studs Terkel and Rex Reed, as well as a French interview that has never before appeared in English, the book is a valuable resource on one of cinema's early geniuses.

Kevin W. Sweeney is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tampa.

From the Publisher

This collection of interviews with one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood's silent and early sound eras

- Includes interviews with such luminaries as Studs Terkel, Rex Reed, Penelope Gilliat, and a long interview with film scholar Kevin Brownlow

- Includes interviews from 1921 to 1965, covering the breadth of Keaton's career

- Features a French interview that has never before appeared in English

- Expands the Conversations with Filmmakers Series --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578069637
• ISBN-13: 978-1578069637
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great collection of real comments - not opinions., August 16, 2007

By	Robert Borgen "Film Fan" (Los Angeles, Calif.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading many books about Buster Keaton, it's great to finally have a book consisting of Keaton's own words on his life and work. This collection contains interviews with Keaton from throughout his life - and is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of films and Hollywood.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Addition to the Keaton Bibliography, September 23, 2009

By	Scott Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This valuable book compiles the best existing Buster Keaton interviews from 1921 to 1965 - providing new insights on the Great Stone Face's work in film, television and stage. Excerpts from these interviews have appeared in various Keaton biographies. However, it is fascinating to read the complete transcripts of the comic filmmaker's discussions with Kevin Brownlow, Studs Terkel, Arthur B. Friedman, and Robert and Joan Franklin. Surprisingly generous, Keaton probably gave more interviews than Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd combined! Kudos to editor Kevin W. Sweeney for assembling this indispensable collection.