The Twin Geeks 103: The Cameraman

What this episode covers

As the silent era reared to a close, the incomparable Buster Keaton delivered one last slapstick masterpiece, serving not only as testimony to the bravura talents he'd already built up over an incredible career, but also a metatextual reflection on the filmmaking process itself, taking on the role of a plucky newsreel cameraman in order to win the affections of his dashing leading lady. With all the resources of the prestigious MGM Studios at his behest, Keaton outsizes his comedy ambitions with illustrious grandeur. Keaton's fascination with the camera was never so apparent, both in its function as a mechanical tool of the filmmaker and in the form of framing his unique brand of comedy. The Cameraman is stuffed with some of Keaton's most memorable bits, and boasts a stronger narrative than the majority of his gag-driven pictures tend to accord. Be it the pantomime aspects of a solo baseball game, the absurdity of cramped quarters in a municipal pool changing room, or the characteristically daring antics of Keaton as he attempts to capture the chaos of a Chinatown gang war, The Camreaman is a comic riot, and a brilliant coda for the brilliant silent master. Timestamps: 0:00 David’s Birthday, arcades appreciation 4:40 The Ambassador of Anime presents FLCL (2000) & Lupin III: The First (2020) 8:40 The Adventures of Tintin (2011) & Further Adventures with Spielberg 17:48 Annual January dumping ground: The Little Things; Locked Down; Songbird; & Stardust 26:31: The Camerman

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