Buster Keaton was an actor, writer, director, and respected physical comedian, well known for his acrobatic talent and stunt work. Growing up as part of a physical vaudeville show, The Three Keatons, he partnered early on with comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.
The Toledo Museum of Art’s (TMA) “The Sound of Silents” film series introduces audiences to silent film stars like Keaton. Set in the Peristyle Theater, with live accompaniment on the world-class Skinner organ, the series “has made visual language education a priority,” said Scott Boberg, manager of Programs and Audience Engagement at TMA. “Silent films are a great way to highlight the sophisticated messages found in such a visual medium.”
This spring, the museum will screen Buster Keaton’s 1926 classic The General, in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit The American Civil War: Through Artists’ Eyes. Keaton’s physical feats are staples of Hollywood blockbusters; he was the first to run along the roof of a train, the oft-copied stunt which helped the film become revered as Keaton’s greatest film.
For Steamboat Bill Jr., he invented the gag of a building falling on a person, who comes out uninjured because of a convenient missing window. His gags required exact precision and Keaton kept a calm, cool demeanor, setting him apart from other physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. “We hope that audiences will have a memorable multi-sensory experience in an extraordinary space that will leave them full of laughter, on the edge of their seat, and astounded by the physical humor and visual complexity of the film,” Boberg said.
“The Sound of Silents” program continues with Safety Last (1923) on July 16. Film fans, organ enthusiasts, and those new to the genre are in for a treat.
The General plays at 7pm on May 28. Toledo Museum of Art’s Peristyle Theatre, 2445 Monroe St. 419-255-8000. toledomuseum.org Free
Buster Keaton was an actor, writer, director, and respected physical comedian, well known for his acrobatic talent and stunt work. Growing up as part of a physical vaudeville show, The Three Keatons, he partnered early on with comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.
The Toledo Museum of Art’s (TMA) “The Sound of Silents” film series introduces audiences to silent film stars like Keaton. Set in the Peristyle Theater, with live accompaniment on the world-class Skinner organ, the series “has made visual language education a priority,” said Scott Boberg, manager of Programs and Audience Engagement at TMA. “Silent films are a great way to highlight the sophisticated messages found in such a visual medium.”
This spring, the museum will screen Buster Keaton’s 1926 classic The General, in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit The American Civil War: Through Artists’ Eyes. Keaton’s physical feats are staples of Hollywood blockbusters; he was the first to run along the roof of a train, the oft-copied stunt which helped the film become revered as Keaton’s greatest film.
For Steamboat Bill Jr., he invented the gag of a building falling on a person, who comes out uninjured because of a convenient missing window. His gags required exact precision and Keaton kept a calm, cool demeanor, setting him apart from other physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. “We hope that audiences will have a memorable multi-sensory experience in an extraordinary space that will leave them full of laughter, on the edge of their seat, and astounded by the physical humor and visual complexity of the film,” Boberg said.
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“The Sound of Silents” program continues with Safety Last (1923) on July 16. Film fans, organ enthusiasts, and those new to the genre are in for a treat.
The General plays at 7pm on May 28. Toledo Museum of Art’s Peristyle Theatre, 2445 Monroe St. 419-255-8000. toledomuseum.org Free