Chaplin and Keaton

[Ernie]

I wasn't sure Charlie Chaplin was getting talked about enough around here as a director/actor/writer so I decided to make a thread...hope I'm not the only fan of him around here.

Anyway, I've always loved Chaplin ever since watching some of his films when I was like 13 or so and recently I've become an even bigger fan of his. I have been as influenced by him as PTA with this short film I've been trying to make. Now more then ever I really see why he is such a genius.

See, I am horrible at writing or delivering dialogue (I'm acting in this thing) so I've naturally avoided writing too much of it in this screenplay. I've been taking a lot of cues from the master to show things and set up visual gags and use facial expressions and body language...all that stuff and wow, it is just fucking awesome. I respect him more then ever now like I said...I really see his talent. The stuff he does...it's almost harder than writing dialogue...almost. I totally prefer the more visual stuff right now at this point because as I said...the dialogue is just awful and, this visual stuff that I've been stealing from Chaplin is just so realistic and wonderful...it's stuff that real people do. Like the way people react to things and stuff like that. I realize dialogue is necessary, I just can't think about how to write it, I can't.

But anyway, what do you guys think of Chaplin?

[Cecil]

modern times  

[Duck Sauce]

Ive only seen City Lights and was pretty impressed especially at the end. I expected it to just be gags and what not, but I really felt for him at the end when the girl knows.

[Rudie Obias]

i love MODERN TIMES, GOLD RUSH and CITY LIGHTS.  there is definately a certain charm to silent films.  especially chaplin and buster keaton films.  you definately couldn't make a silent film now although i still want to someday make one (hopefully).  it's a lot harder to convey thought and emotion without words.

i also read somewhere that some people think luiz guzman in PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is very chaplin-esque.  i recent just saw PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE and i haveto say that i really never appreciated guzman til my last viewing.  wow!  really funny!

[Ghostboy]

When Guzman falls out of the chair at that one point....PRICELESS!

I've only seen Modern Times and City Lights, but they're soooo good. Modern Times is just amazing on a purely technical level...some of those setups are unbelievable. And it's so hilarious...the scene where he mistakes the cocaine or speed or whatever for salt had me in tears.

[snaporaz]

the only chaplin film i've seen is the great dictator, which sorta sucks since i still have no real idea of what chaplin's silent stuff is like.

i am, however, a HUGE fucking fan of buster keaton. i love that motherfucker. i've seen most of his films. his precision and stunts and everything...it's really mind-blowing.

i got this for x-mas.



the general is really something. wonderful, wonderful movie. there's still a couple features i haven't seen yet, but i've seen everything else, including all nineteen short pictures, the best being the boat, cops, the playhouse, the paleface and the goat.

ok. sorry about getting off topic. keaton owns.

[Ernie]

ok. sorry about getting off topic. keaton owns.

No, don't worry about it man...it's fun to go off topic.

I love Keaton just as much, I just haven't seen as many of his films as I have Chaplin's. I think he's fucking great. It's weird that he's funny because he looks like a sort of tough, dark guy to me....I don't know why. I like that.

[Gold Trumpet]

I wanted to mention my appreciation for Keaton before in this thread, but out of respect for Chaplin, who I like and all but he is very little when compared to absolute genius of Keaton, I did not. I also got that box set for Christmas, and in the few months before hand, I spent all my free time on my college campus in between classes in the library watching Keaton movies over and over again. I think he is the greatest comedian in all the movies.

~rougerum

[snaporaz]

he looks like a sort of tough, dark guy to me....I don't know why. I like that.

heh.

[SHAFTR]

Where is Sherlock Jr in that set?  That movie is great.

I've seen Chaplin's Modern Times.

I would like to make a silent film as well.  Actually I want to make a lot of films, I just don't have any plot ideas.  sigh.

[snaporaz]

Where is Sherlock Jr in that set?

third from the left.

man. that whole thing where buster walks into the movie...

wierd....

[Gold Trumpet]

Sherlock Jr's is the best one of them, in my egotistically humble opinion. Maybe the best comedy ever. Competition though in Strangelove, Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise, and even MASH, which I think is great and underrated as a comedy.

~rougerum

[Ernie]

he looks like a sort of tough, dark guy to me....I don't know why. I like that.

heh.

See, look at his eyes...those dark rims under them, that is so fucking cool. I wish I had that. He's a cool lookin guy, he looks like a character out of a Tim Burton movie or something. Seriously, I'd be afraid to laugh out loud at him in person. Keaton is very cool.

[Ernie]

I wanted to mention my appreciation for Keaton before in this thread, but out of respect for Chaplin, who I like and all but he is very little when compared to absolute genius of Keaton, I did not. I also got that box set for Christmas, and in the few months before hand, I spent all my free time on my college campus in between classes in the library watching Keaton movies over and over again. I think he is the greatest comedian in all the movies.

~rougerum

Oh, never be afraid to go a little off topic in a thread that I make man. God knows I have a tendancy to absolutely butcher the topics of other people's threads...not intentionally of course.

Besides...to me, Keaton is very closely related to this topic. I feel bad for not including him at all in this thread...I think he's just as fucking great as Chaplin.

[Bud_Clay]

I've never seen a Buster Keaton film, but claiming Buster as "better than Chaplin" is quite something. What're his best films I should definitely check out first? The General?..Sherlock Jr.?..