Buster Keaton: The Silent Clown

Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton was born in October, 1895 in Kansas, USA. He moved to New York in 1917, where he was signed to show in “The Passing Show of 1917”. He made popularity throughout a series of commercials and American programs, and directed his first film, Sherlock Jr. in 1924. He did not experiment with expressionism and realism, simply just filming what he thought audiences would find funny, which often involved physical stunts that he himself performed or unrealistic and wild scenarios involving a naive but lovable protagonist that he played.

He became very famous and one of the most iconic actors/creators of silent cinema, as people recognised him for his physical gags, still stature and chaotic situations. His films involved a clueless hero who would accidentally get dragged into escalating situations what would eventually reach a climax, performing stunts to achieve physical comedy and creating sets that he used to perform off of and create comedy through the environment, as seen in the unfinished house in One Week(Buster Keaton, 1920).

Although his career died out after the end of silent cinema, Buster Keaton is remembered as one of the pioneers of comedic film, and one of the most iconic faces of silent cinema.