Charlie Chaplin vs Buster Keaton

The Prof · Postby **The Prof** » 03 Sep 2006, 23:56

Footy for me.

Nolamike · Postby **Nolamike** » 04 Sep 2006, 00:10

Love the Chaplin, but Keaton is among my fave actors of all time. How the heck did he do half of the stunts he did?!?!? Steamboat Bill, Jr. gets the nod as far as any of his movies go.

Brin · Postby **Brin** » 04 Sep 2006, 00:14

Harold Lloyd?Bit of a daredevil wasnt he?

Nolamike · Postby **Nolamike** » 04 Sep 2006, 00:23

brin wrote:Harold Lloyd?Bit of a daredevil wasnt he?

Indeed. Funny that the clock stunt is practically the only thing people remember today...

Muskrat · Postby **Muskrat** » 04 Sep 2006, 05:56

Keaton, but Harold Lloyd's up there, and I put Laurel & Hardy above any of 'em.

Never got Chaplin.

Magilla · Postby **Magilla** » 04 Sep 2006, 06:25

Keaton, because at least he had the deceny to turn up to Cary Grant's wedding, unlike that snobby cunt Chaplin...

"...All you folks and fools
Have been invited to
A new-wave personality
Stumbles out of the ruins
Cos he's been invited to
Cary Grant's wedding

Buster Keaton he turned up
He wasn't a woman
He didn't take hallucigens..."

Bet you can't guess who those lyrics are by? :roll:

Clippernolan · Postby **Clippernolan** » 04 Sep 2006, 06:49

The Smamfy wrote:

Not silent film stars, but I love the Marx Brothers!

bixhenry · Postby **bixhenry** » 04 Sep 2006, 17:07

I love Chaplin, but Buster is the man. There's a clear-eyed lack of schmaltz in his films, along with the fact that there has never been a better purely physical comedian, that puts me squarely in the Buster camp.

The General is one of my all-time favorite movies, while Steamboat Bill and Sherlock Jr. are amazing as well.

The term genius is bandied about too frequently, but it absolutely applies to Keaton.

ConnyOlivetti · Postby **ConnyOlivetti** » 04 Sep 2006, 17:46

Keaton!

ConnyOlivetti · Postby **ConnyOlivetti** » 04 Sep 2006, 17:59

Nolamike wrote:Love the Chaplin, but Keaton is among my fave actors of all time. How the heck did he do half of the stunts he did?!?!?

Well, he was almost born on the stage and used to travel with his parents, so he learned all the tricks at a very early stage in his life.
He was part of his parents act and they used to throw him around like a basket, so he got used to land on his feet, or head or whatever ;-)

Even if you watch some of the stunts in slowmo you have a hard time to understand how on earth he did it.

Jimbly · Postby **Jimbly** » 04 Sep 2006, 18:05

I dont like Chaplin, I really cant go his "I am a genius, I wrote the music, the theme tune, the script, I will make you laugh and cry, and you will love the little tramp" routine.

Buster every time

but Stan and Ollie are the tops

Muskrat · Postby **Muskrat** » 04 Sep 2006, 18:16

Magilla wrote:"...All you folks and fools
Have been invited to
A new-wave personality
Stumbles out of the ruins
Cos he's been invited to
Cary Grant's wedding

Buster Keaton he turned up
He wasn't a woman
He didn't take hallucigens..."

Bet you can't guess who those lyrics are by?

I'd guess, but I don't want anybody here to know I'm even aware of The Fall.

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 04 Sep 2006, 19:32

I love Keaton, and agree he's a better comedian than Chaplin. But a word for my man Charlie. He just reaches higher emotional peaks. Keaton was a great escapist, but Chaplin used his own pain as fodder for laughs and made it work. Keaton's McCartney, Chaplin's Lennon. And possibly because of something in my own life, but definitely because it's stark and honest, no film touches me as much as The Kid.

Jimbly · Postby **Jimbly** » 04 Sep 2006, 19:43

toomanyhatz wrote:I love Keaton, and agree he's a better comedian than Chaplin. But a word for my man Charlie. He just reaches higher emotional peaks. Keaton was a great escapist, but Chaplin used his own pain as fodder for laughs and made it work. Keaton's McCartney, Chaplin's Lennon. And possibly because of something in my own life, but definitely because it's stark and honest, no film touches me as much as The Kid.

I would have the Lennon/McCartney analogy the other way round. Charlie wants you to love him. Buster just shows you his stuff

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 04 Sep 2006, 19:58

Jeemo wrote:
toomanyhatz wrote:I love Keaton, and agree he's a better comedian than Chaplin. But a word for my man Charlie. He just reaches higher emotional peaks. Keaton was a great escapist, but Chaplin used his own pain as fodder for laughs and made it work. Keaton's McCartney, Chaplin's Lennon. And possibly because of something in my own life, but definitely because it's stark and honest, no film touches me as much as The Kid.

I would have the Lennon/McCartney analogy the other way round. Charlie wants you to love him. Buster just shows you his stuff

I admit there's some truth in this, and I can't deny Chaplin had a huge ego. So did Lennon. And don't get me wrong, I love Buster and can see picking him over Chaplin. But the fact that Charlie sold his own genius doesn't mean it didn't exist. He backed it up. Compare Chaplin's movies to his myriad copyists' and it's clear.

Jimbly · Postby **Jimbly** » 04 Sep 2006, 21:52

toomanyhatz wrote:
Jeemo wrote:
toomanyhatz wrote:I love Keaton, and agree he's a better comedian than Chaplin. But a word for my man Charlie. He just reaches higher emotional peaks. Keaton was a great escapist, but Chaplin used his own pain as fodder for laughs and made it work. Keaton's McCartney, Chaplin's Lennon. And possibly because of something in my own life, but definitely because it's stark and honest, no film touches me as much as The Kid.

I would have the Lennon/McCartney analogy the other way round. Charlie wants you to love him. Buster just shows you his stuff

I admit there's some truth in this, and I can't deny Chaplin had a huge ego. So did Lennon. And don't get me wrong, I love Buster and can see picking him over Chaplin. But the fact that Charlie sold his own genius doesn't mean it didn't exist. He backed it up. Compare Chaplin's movies to his myriad copyists' and it's clear.

When I watch Chaplin I dont see genius, I just see Chaplin's ego

Buster or Stan and Ollie you see the person and as such are loveable.

I think we will just have to disagree

Snowdog · Postby **Snowdog** » 05 Sep 2006, 00:25

Jeemo wrote:When I watch Chaplin I dont see genius, I just see Chaplin's ego

Oh, come on! The way the man moves is simply miraculous. Every frame is sheer genius.

Which doesn't mean I don't like Keaton, he just doesn't come close for me.

But, you know, I'm happy to agree to disagree.

And to come over to your place, drink your beer & watch your Keaton movies. :lol:

Andrew Lou Goldman · Postby **Andrew Lou Goldman** » 05 Sep 2006, 01:23

Footy gives me a raging hard-on.

I'd bang him 9 ways to Sunday.

Davey the Fat Boy · Postby **Davey the Fat Boy** » 05 Sep 2006, 05:08

Like the Beatles vs. the Stones, there isn't a clear winner to be had here. And certainly Harold Lloyd deserves to be part of the conversation as well. But I do think there is a reason that Chaplin's legend looms larger. His work was both more emotionally engaging and more socially significant.

A strong argument can be made that Keaton was the more innovative filmmaker, and I'd agree with it. But no film by him is as moving as City Lights, as prophetic as Modern Times, nor as important as The Great Dictator. I think you have to give it to Chaplin.

Black Cat Bone

Charlie Chaplin vs Buster Keaton

Chaplin vs Keaton