Visionary Cinema: Buster Keaton at Oddball Films April 18, 2009

Event: Oddball Films Presents the second in its Silent Cinema Series featuring Buster Keaton’s classic surreal slapstick comedy “Sherlock Jr.” (with a score by San Francisco’s Clubfoot Orchestra), “The Balloonatic (1923) and “Cops” (1922), two of his most famous shorts. Plus more rare shorts and TV commercials of Buster Keaton selling Fords, and Simon Pure beer!
Date: Saturday, April 18th at 8:00PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp St in San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Visionary Cinema: Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr”
“The Balloonatic”+“Cops”
Screens at Oddball Films

Oddball Films presents the second in its Silent Cinema Series featuring 3 of legendary silent slapstick star Buster Keaton’s films including “Sherlock Jr”, (with a soundscore by San Francisco’s famed Clubfoot Orchestra), “The Balloonatic” (1922), “Cops” (1923) plus other rare shorts and television commercials.

The showdate is Saturday April 18th at 8:00PM. Admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP only to: [email protected] or 415-558.8117. Oddball Films is located at 275 Capp Street in San Francisco’s Mission district.

Buster Keaton was one of the greatest performers and directors of silent screen. His surrealist, slapstick stunts, deadpan humor and brilliantly inventive gags transformed cinema forever. His films are universally considered to be among the most innovative and important in the history of cinema, laying the foundation for cinematic comedy for decades to come. It’s difficult to express just how remarkable his visionary Keaton’s films really were today. Viewing them always ignites a shiver through any audience unfamiliar with his utterly simplistic yet universally mind-boggling cinema. Tonight we screen 16mm prints of Keaton’s most famous films. We’ll also be screening some oddities-commercials Keaton did later in life for television and some surprises too.

“Sherlock Jr.” (1924)
Perhaps no other film offers a more exciting rollercoaster through the golden era of silent comedy than “Sherlock Jr”. “Sherlock” dramatized the uproarious exploits of a meek theater projectionist-turned amateur-sleuth, the film blends the knockabout physical comedy normally linked to slapstick with amazing stunts and a subtly crafted moments of humor such as the sequence where Keaton leaps through the silver screen, landing in the middle of the action. “Sherlock Jr.” is a unique example of American minimalism—simple objects and movement manipulated in casually complex ways to generate a steadily rising gale of laughter. Keaton and uncredited co-director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle have created a dazzling display of cinematic inventiveness that characterizes the timelessness and surreal quality of Keaton’s best work. Featuring a quirky and innovative score by San Francisco’s famed Clubfoot Orchestra.

“Cops” (1922)
One of Buster Keaton's best short films ever, “Cops” is a fine showcase of Keaton's physical comedy. A series of mishaps gets him deeper and deeper into trouble, culminating in what appears to be the entire world's police force chasing after him. Keaton's efforts to elude them are both inventive and funny. This short also contains the classic sequence with a horse and an overfull wagon load of furniture.
One of Keaton's most iconic and brilliantly-constructed short films, “Cops” was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry in 1997.

“The Balloonatic” (1923)
Here in “The Balloonatic”, Keaton prolific creativity tests out hot air balloons and wilderness survival. Keaton is accidentally whisked away on a flying balloon, only to get stranded in untamed wild! Fortunately he encounters a woman (Phyllis Haver) who is a skilled outdoorsman. As they attempt to best each other, Keaton and Haver have wild jungle adventures. “The Balloonatic” was one of the last short films Keaton made before moving on to feature length films; but the charm and clever gags are on full display in this brief madcap adventure.
About Buster Keaton
A vaudevillian from the age of five, Keaton began his film career with Fatty Arbuckle at the age of 21, and began directing and starring in his own films a couple of years later. The films from this silent era are his most enduring--and are inventive, visionary, and as funny as anything that has followed. Unlike his contemporaries Chaplin or Harold Lloyd, Keaton does not mug; he does not implore his audience; he watches calmly along with the audience as chaos unfolds and reacts with his trademark smarts, physical skill and elegance.