Monday, April 20, 2009

Burlesque Inspiration: Buster Keaton

Buster KeatonImage via Wikipedia


Can't talk about Charlie Chaplin without mentioning the great stone face, Buster Keaton.

Buster Keaton got the nickname " Great Stone Face" due to his lack of expression. The man gets pushed around, tossed, flung, blown away and has a house fall on him. Still, the same expression. Brilliant I tells you. While I don't recommend throwing the smiles and winks out the window (no duh) , if you were to do a slapstick heavy piece, keeping the stoic, deadpan look would make the piece ten times hilarious.

Boom. Clips. Enjoy.










I recommend watching The General and Steamboat Bill Jr. for starters.





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2 comments:

  1. God, I love him.

    I think part of the genius of deadpan is that the stunts themselves are so incredibly over-the-top. The contrast is so unnatural and absurd that we have to laugh! Also, silent, unsmiling, "serious" expressions can be far more endearing than big grins -- just think how adorable Wall-E is.

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