Buster vs Robert

So, even though this is taking much longer than planned (understatement of the year), we are pushing forward trying to make this epic project something we can eventually tell people in 2050 that we've decided, once and for all, who our favorite director of all time (or from the early 1900's to 2010) is. And the post below will help to tell you who it definitely is not.

The General

To be completely honest, going into this film I was expecting to be unimpressed. It's a silent movie by the acrobatic Buster Keaton set during the Civil War. Keaton plays a train engineer who is turned away from signing up to fight for the South, which doesn't look so good to the Southern Belle that he fancies. To make a short story shorter, Keaton ends up saving the day--and the girl--using his train and his apparently bumbling self. The story isn't great, and everyone except Keaton doesn't really act, but I was absolutely blown away by the brilliance of his movement and facial expressions. I was laughing out loud during this 83-year-old film, loving the astounding stunts Keaton performs with the train. His physicality is magnetic and he uses his entire body to tell the story.

All the Kings Men

I was rather impressed by this biopic on a man who comes from meager beginnings and finds his inner politician, weaving a life story that moves and changes the man through different stages of politics: as a puppet, an empowered representative of the working man, a "justifiably" corrupt politician, and a lonely, fallen man with a tainted record and destroyed family. The acting was very good, except for the main character that the audience is meant to connect with and who narrates the film. I greatly enjoyed watching this movie and it reminded me of seeing Citizen Kane in the way that it gave birth to many film devices. 


Steamboat Bill Jr.

This movie was very similar to The General in the spectacular demonstration of Keaton's abilities as a slapstick, acrobatic performer and in the storyline of a down-and-out misunderstood loser trying desperately to impress and win the girl against the odds. Some of the key differences were in the props used by Keaton to perform his brilliant stunts and the apparent use of new technology. One of the most famous scenes of Buster Keaton's career takes place amidst a rather convincing storm. I wasn't as enraptured by this movie, possibly because after seeing The General my expectations were more appropriately set.



The Hustler

Oh, I loved this movie. I'm not sure if my adoration of the film is derived from Rossen's directing or if it comes from my instant affection for Paul Newman, but either way I drank up this wonderfully crafted film. Newman, as a pool hustler named Fast Eddie who is bouncing between a place of solid skill and living life as a "loser,"creates a character who is both spectacular and just like everyone else. The acting is very skillful, especially the performances of Fast Eddie's love interest played by Piper Laurie (who later shows up in Twin Peaks), his sly, evil manager played by George C. Scott, and his rival pool player Minnesota Fats played by Jackie Gleason (later of The Honeymooners fame). Gleason plays a cool, smooth character with consistency and accuracy, and Laurie is convincingly heartbroken and heartbreaking (the role landed her a nomination with the Academy). Anyhow, it was brilliant and you should just watch it now instead of reading this stupid summary. It's freakin' awesome.

So, after much, much much (3 months?) important deliberation, I've decided that I want to see more of Rossen, and as a movie watcher, that's the important part. I have seen much of what I believe Keaton has to offer, but I'd like to see more of Rossen's range. In the end it turns out that Keaton was beaten and Rossen is the boss...en.

Stay tuned for the next round in about six months!

Rossen V Keaton

It's been way, way, way, way too long. But here it is. Buster Keaton Vs. Robert Rossen...

Robert Rossen is an acclaimed film director of the late 40s to early 60's with surprisingly few titles to his name. We watched the Best Picture winning All the King's Men and Best picture nominated The Hustler. Buster Keaton is the fantastic Stunt man of the 1920's who apparently no one wanted to see again once they invented sound in films.


Robbert Rossen - All The King's Men -1949

This is the highly acclaimed period political drama loosely (but clearly) based on the life of Senator Huey Long. This film wowed me when I was a kid and the message in itself is clearly poignant if not completely prophetic towards everything that's happened since in American politics. The story is executed effortlessly and has become the blueprint for how to make a political drama in American films, which is not an easy thing to do. There's a lot of standing around and talking with people saying things they don't really mean and the audience has to understand key moments of the plot through intonation and emphasis. If you want to see how easily this can be screwed up watch the awful remake by Sean Penn, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet, who aren't exactly low-level actors.

But watching it again at a more mature age also reveals a lot of the movie's flaws. Firstly the characters, especially outside of the main role of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) and a compelling performance from Mercedes McCaimbridge, are pretty lacking in depth. They are mostly one-dimensional if not outright caricatures...I'm looking at you Joanne Dru. How many times do you need to be held by a man while you wail about uncontrollably before we realize you have no other way to convey you're upset?

And looking back at the politics of the time its hard to for me to fully accept a film that plays so well into the hands of HUAC. Apparently Robert Rossen, a former member of the communist party, had to prove to studio heads that he had no ulterior motives before he was allowed to direct... Look out everyone or the big bad Communists might control your brains!!!! I mean other than being ridiculously popular, having a political machine, and being a liberal politician there really wasn't much that Huey Long did to deserve this bleak portrayal. The man who ends up murdering him in cold blood was the son of a politician who was fired by Long after betraying him. You could have easily made Braveheart and been about as accurate on the man's life story. I mean the man wasn't Billy Hearst.

Genre- Political Drama 9/10
Characters - 4/10
Mood, Theme, Ambience - 6/10
Inventiveness - 5/10
Film Quality 6/10
Total 30/50


Buster Keaton - The General - 1926 

All props to Buster Keaton. This man has more talent in his worst performance than many modern day actors have in their best. Despite having no voice and short run times, this film is exciting, interesting, and compelling. Keaton does things on screen that one would insist had to be computer animated. Even the simplest gags in this movie are death defying, like the scene in which Keaton without noticing sits on axle of the train and gets picked up as it starts moving. Later in the movie Keaton stands on the front of the train engine and knocks debris off the tracks while the train is moving--which was done in real time!!! Real Time!!!! Like thirty people should have died in that scene alone.

But the film outside of Keaton himself has its flaws. Firstly, the story is weak. A train engineer (Keaton) has his girl stolen by some evil union soldiers during the Civil War and he steals her back, assisting the Southern soldiers in winning a battle along the way. To anyone watching, the story is unimportant and serves as an excuse for Keaton to play around with a train. Also, the second most interesting character in the film is probably The General itself which if you haven't seen this movie is not some war General but Keaton's train. Keaton seems way more interested in it than in the love interest, as well he should because the train out-acts her. Plus, as in any Keaton movie, Keaton dominates every scene. Whenever the camera is not on him your simply waiting for it to get back to him. There is no other reason you're watching the film. There are no great story arcs, no amazing acting performances, no real interesting romances--just Keaton. I'm not sure if it's because nobody could keep up with him or because film making didn't have the techniques available to tell amazing stories (I'm leaning towards the former) but Keaton films are always about the same.

Genre- Stunt Film 10/10
Characters - 3/10
Mood, Theme, Ambiance - 3/10
Inventiveness - 7/10
Film Quality 5/10
Total 29/50


Rossen - The Hustler - 1962 

We've both said it before, but apparently Paul Newman does not make bad movies. He's like a batter who walks to the plate and hits each pitch out of the stadium. The Hustler is built around his performance as a hot shot pool shark. The film opens with Fast Eddie (Newman) going up against the best in the biz: Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). The scene, which is shot amazingly by Rossen, turns the pool hall into a biblical battlefield and we watch as a David goes up against a Goliath and initially tears him apart only to have his character's flaws tear him and his bank roll apart. The nearly 25 minute scene is heart-wrenching and every pivotal theme throughout the film is set up in that scene. We later see Newman's character fall down and start to put his life somewhat back together with another down-and-out named Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie). She's a loser in love and he's a loser in life and the two feed off of each other until Newman is dragged back into his old life by Minnesota's manager Bert Gordon (George C. Scott). Each part is pivotal and played to perfection; the ending is inevitable but shocking. Everything in this film fits and shows just how lacking the other films in this Rossen-Keaton showdown have been.

Genre- Sports Drama 9/10
Characters - 9/10
Mood, Theme, Ambience - 10/10
Inventiveness - 7/10
Film Quality 9/10
Total 44/50

Keaton - Steamboat Bill Jr. - 1928 

Despite being far lower on the chain of Keaton films than The General, I found this to be the more enjoyable of the two films, but also less amazing at the same time. The story is about the same, but this time Keaton is a college grad back home for the summer and he has to work with a large boat rather than a train. Only with better side characters to help Keaton out, a more, but not significantly more, likable love interest, and some of the funny moments fall to other characters. This film also has just as impressive stunts. Keaton with the riverboat is predictably impressive, but truly shines during a wind sequence obviously created using some large fans off screen to blow him around. One of Keaton's most famous stunts appears in this film; a house wall falls down around him while he stands just in the right spot going through the window hole. I've probably seen this done by Wile E. Coyote a dozen times but never realized how much more impressive it is in real life.

Genre- Stunt Film 6/10
Characters - 3/10
Mood, Theme, Ambience - 3/10
Inventiveness - 9/10
Film Quality 5/10
Total 26/50

So with a average score of 37 to Keaton's 27.5 Robert Rossen will move on to round 2 to face Frank Capra.