Customer Reviews

Buster Keaton: Tempest In A Flat Hat

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Almost forty years after his death, Buster Keaton is increasingly appreciated as a comic artist. The movies of his only real competitor for silent film clown, Charlie Chaplin, are usually marred by sentimentality, but Keaton was having none of that. As Edward McPherson writes, in _Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat_ (Newmarket Press), "Keaton's films are witty, beautiful, unsentimental, moving, and - most of all - funny." McPherson writes that his book is "merely a fan's notes," a celebration of Keaton's work. As such, almost all its pages are lovingly devoted to Keaton's films of the twenties. There was a Keaton after the silent film days were over, and he did make a triumph over various adversities, but his silent shorts and full-length films are wonderful, and are still being mined as examples of timing and technical wizardry. This is not a full biography, but a celebration, and it is all the better for that.

Young Keaton joined his parents in vaudeville performances. He literally joined them by wandering onstage; the parents tried tying him offstage or putting him into a trunk, but it turned out that the best way to keep an eye on him was to bring him into the act. The usual skit involved Joe's helter-skelter efforts to discipline his son, and Keaton simply was tossed around on the stage, thrown into the orchestra pit, or used as a mop. It sounds rough, but Keaton was a ham and loved it, and always denied that he had anything to complain about. Fatty Arbuckle was a fan of the Keatons' act, and had already "borrowed" some of their gags for celluloid. When Keaton wandered into Arbuckle's studio in New York in 1917, he was invited to take part in a scene involving a mess of gooey molasses and being knocked for a backwards summersault from a store out into the street. Arbuckle recognized a movie natural immediately, and Buster signed on to the company. Arbuckle's collaborative and freeform way of making gags was just what Keaton wanted, and what he instituted when he started making his own movies in Hollywood. McPherson describes all of the great films here, with descriptions of how the stunts and the accomplished trick photography were done. It all ground down when Keaton lost his independent studio and went to work for MGM, which wanted scripts, budgets, and shooting schedules; the jolly, funny atmosphere of a team intoxicated by making comic movies evaporated. The other great impediment to Keaton's way of working was sound. The days of hooking the camera to a boat, car, or train and letting it go were over. Keaton was shoe-horned into drawing-room, all-talking productions.

McPherson describes but does not detail the years thereafter, when Keaton had embarrassing journeyman jobs as his only outlet, and then cameos in such films as _Sunset Boulevard_, and even in beach blanket movies. His troubles with alcoholism (eventually conquered) and two difficult marriages (the third one was charmed) are here. Here also, however, is mention of his lucrative career making guest spots and commercials on television, a medium that many moviemakers hated or dreaded but which he appreciated as the latest technology. Collectors ensured that his films were seen again in the fifties and sixties, and he got lifetime honors from the Academy and other appreciative organizations, so that when he died in 1966, he knew that his astonishing output from the twenties was going to be appreciated by every subsequent generation. As a appreciation of Keaton's work, McPherson's book is sweet and generous, and will send readers out to the video store to do their own appreciating.

This book was a "nice little surprise", in that I didn't really expect to enjoy it as much as I did. - I bought it on impulse, in that I always buy books on Buster Keaton, as well as on a number of other subjects that are of great "collectible" interest to me. For the most part, I've enjoyed almost every book on Keaton I've ever purchased, going back to Blesh's "Keaton", which I read when I was 17, way back in 1966. I was burned severly by one purchase, a slight little paperback biography (by an author whose name I can't remember) that was one of the most poorly written, error-strewn messes I've ever seen. I tossed it! But I love Blesh, Bengston, Lebel, Robinson, Moews, Meade, Rapf & Green, Oldham, Dardis, Horton (why does everyone hate this one? I enjoyed it immensly), Knopf, Weed & Lellis, Vance & Keaton, Benayoun, Kline, and of course, Buster's own "World Of Slapstick". To my mind, they all contribute something new to the picture.

When I started reading this new McPherson book, I had a bit of a feeling of "ho-hum". But, surprisingly, I was drawn into it. I found that the author had, indeed, added new insights into Keaton's personal life, a few new facts here & there. Most importantly, his comments regarding the films themselves are lively, insightful, and unique. This is a most welcome addition to my Keaton library, in a plain, unexceptional cover and design that falsely led me to believe that the book would be dull and pedestrian. I'm one Keaton fan who is glad to own this book.

The only reason I've not given the book a fifth star, is that the author rather awkwardly telescopes the last 20 or so years of Buster's life into a rather sketchy summary, somewhat out-of-keeping with the wonderful treatment given the earlier years. For this reason, I would not recommend this as a "starter", or a new Keaton fan's "only" book on the subject. But, to add color and nuance to what is learned in other volumes, this is a fine compliment and a satisfying Keaton read.

I just finished this book and I found little insight to Keaton as a person. I wouldn't really call this book a biography. It's more of a chronological synopsis of each of his films with anecdotes of his life splashed here and there. It's a great book if you really want to know about plot lines and what happened on set. If you want to know about the man, choose another book.

I bought this book in London and could not put it down. It was fascinating to read about Keaton's early years in show business and how he grew to be one of America's most admired actors. Mr. Mcpherson's book is hilarious, engrossing and full of surprises. He brings to life Buster Keaton's story. If you are a movie aficionado as I am, you will love this book.

This alleged "biography" on Buster Keaton is a total rehash of what you've read before. It's a mystery why this book was published, since it smacks of a vanity project. Besides, there are plenty of superior Keaton books already on the market. Save your money.

While the number of biographies on Buster Keaton has increased greatly since the re-discovery of his silent work took off for real in the 1960's, to date there is still no book available that can be rightly evaluated as the "definitive" biography. His largely ghost-written memoirs MY WONDERFUL WORLD OF SLAPSTICK, Rudi Blesh's KEATON, Jeffrey Vance's and Eleanor Keaton's collaboration BUSTER KEATON REMEMBERED, the more recent BUSTER KEATON: INTERVIEWS as well as the splendid documentary A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW make for a thorough examination of his life in total, but it is still disappointing that the comedian has not yet been gained a study of his life and work on par with David Robinson's Chaplin-biography. He deserves it, as anyone can tell; and the longing from fans for such a book to emerge is probably why this book, A TEMPEST IN A FLAT HAT by Edward McPherson, has received some rather harsh comments.

Make no mistake: there is little new in this biography to anyone familiar with the other books mentioned above. McPherson's biography is a pretty straight-forward examination of Keaton's life, with its main focus directed at his vaudeville roots and film-making up till around 1930, whereas his later years are hastily covered. The neglection of Keaton's work in talkies is disappointing; quite typical, but it is my opinion that all of Buster's work from after his golden period is at least worthy of attention, even when the results are devastating, and on some occasions the comedian did manage to recaptivate some of the magic which had been present in his earlier work. However, if one is to view FLAT HAT as just what it is, a summary of Keaton's life which is mostly concerned with his earlier years, the book all in all stands as very good. McPherson has been careful with accuracy, correcting some errors present in earlier books on the comedian, and covers his life and work through a serious, unsensationalistic, respectful but at the same time critical approach. McPherson's enthusiasm for Keaton's films is obvious, but he manages to not let this become too apparent when analyzing his work.

There is one thing which the newcomer of Keaton's work should be aware of, though: McPherson sometimes spends a large amount of space summarizing the plots of the films he is discussing, often without making any direct connections between his analysis and the plot details displayed. Readers not too familiar with Keaton's films may want to skip these parts, as the summaries are likely to reveal the conclusion of a film. A few aspects like this aside, TEMPEST IN A FLAT HAT stands as a good way begin a deeper relationship with the life and work of Buster Keaton, beyond watching his wonderful films.

There have been several biographies of Buster Keaton, a man whose raw genius seems to defy description. It is understated to say that Keaton was one of the trailblazing luminaries of the 20th century. His creativity, technical imagination, craftsmanship and physical courage took him to heights in the world of arts and entertainment few have scaled.

Keaton was a man of no formal education, yet few have ever doubted his native intelligence. Much like another giant in entertainment, Harry Houdini, his creativity astounded the masses, and he willed himself to superstardom.

His humor, with his stone face, and trademark porkpie hat, even when portraying an Indian Chief, brings smiles to this reviewers face almost eighty years after the fact.

But Keaton's genius was so huge, and his fall from grace so precipitous, that this book has failed to capture what was of huge interest in his story. Although the writer obviously appreciates Keaton's meteoric talent, and writes concisely, he misses what would have been an interesting part of Keaton's journey.

Keaton's heyday was clearly in the 1920's, and his genius was clearly diluted by the issues he faced in his marriage, and his overbearing and hypocritical in-laws. He battled, and apparently overcame alcoholism, which is skirted over in this book, and drifted through the late 1930's and 1940's and early 1950's, until his revival.

What did he do during these times? The book does not take this into account.

In the 1960's he appeared in the Beach Blanket Bingo movies, and the treatment of him, and his parts in these movies were disrespectful to a legend, and in a word, wretched. However, this, as well was barely mentioned.

Clearly, Keaton may be too big a subject to tackle in a standard biography, and for the casual reader who wants to learn something about this legendary comedian, this book can serve as a primer.

"Tempest in a Flat Hat" (2004) offers nothing new on the life and art of Buster Keaton. The book merely represents "a fan's notes" while regurgitating material from other Keaton biographies. As Groucho Marx would say, "Some writing feat."

This is a wonderful book. McPherson is a terrific writer with a fresh style. He's as welcome as Joe Adamson, and Simon Louvish were when they first came on the scene brandishing their own welcome spin on things.

I usually don't enjoy a "star" biography if it dwells too much on describing famous (and to many, familiar) films in great detail, but McPherson's deft descriptions don't irk me in the least. He conjures memories of these films as if a good friend were describing them to you. In fact, I ordered the Arbuckle/Keaton DVDs just today.

Welcome to the fold, Mr. McPherson.

Buster Keton is one of the best actor-directors in movie history, and has received biographical attention before - but for true depth don't miss Buster Keaton: Tempest In A Flat Hat: it comes from a young writer who spent over a year repeatedly watching over 60 Keaton films and follows Keaton's career from vaudeville to silent film. Keaton used his vaudeville years to apply some unique techniques to the silents: Buster Keaton: Tempest In A Flat Hat identifies and celebrates these techniques and describes his life and influences.