Speechless Blogathon // Sherlock Jr. (1924)

★★★★½

Directed by BUSTER KEATON

Starring BUSTER KEATON, KATHRYN McGUIRE and JOE KEATON

The Speechless Blogathon is yet another event hosted by the talented blogger Lesya, from Eternity of Dream. The goal is to choose a silent film we haven't seen before, and write about it. This won't be a serious review, for I can never write much about silent films, no matter how much I adore them. 

In Sherlock Jr., Buster Keaton is a movie projectionist who tries to learn the art of being a detective; and as the initial frames read, don't try to do two things at once and expect to do justice to both. So Buster is both a bad detective and a lousy projectionist: he let's the criminal easily frame him, and falls asleep on the job, where he begins to dream. In his dream, he becomes the kind of hero who beats the bad guys and saves the girl. Though infinitely clumsier than your average 007, fortune does seem to grace him more in his dreams than in real life: whether jumping through windows or riding riderless motorcycles, he always manages to escape all the incredible close calls with crashing cars, passing trains, and collapsing bridges. He may be oblivious to most of it, but he's certainly always in the right place, at the right time. 

It's this series of (mis)fortunes that make us laugh, but it's his attempts to innocently seduce the girl he loves in real life that warm our hearts. And this superb balance between comedy and drama is why I'm a fan of Buster Keaton. Though The General remains my favorite, Sherlock Jr. has some memorable scenes. --- SPOILERS AHEAD --- Like when he alters the gift's price and spends a great deal trying to impress the girl and touch her; his face every time someone said they had lost a dollar; when he makes a sailing boat out of the car; and the very final scene, where he imitates the film's leading man. --- IT'S SAFE AGAIN ---

But as usual, it's in the details that the true genius of this artist is revealed, and it is because of them that upon every re-watch of his movies you can always discover something new. At first you may enjoy them because they're a good laugh, a breath of fresh (though ironically old) air; but if you press them long enough, there are plenty of underlying themes that can be subject to an analysis. By the way, the version I watched had some James Bond music bits and a bluesy guitar, all very avant-garde. It was distracting at first, then it got funny, and now I'm not sure what to think of it. 

Roger Roger

Due to the departure delay I managed to get some posts scheduled ahead! Though as stated above, don't expect anything too fancy... Here's John Slattery, who shares his birthday with Hitchcock (yesterday, August 13). He's pretty neat as Roger in Mad Men, Don Draper's closest thing to a friend. They both have a tendency to self-destruction, but last season's LSD experiences really sent him on a downward spiral. His once vivacious and daring personality seems to have lost its glow and is now immerse in a dangerous apathy, only corrected by the use of psychedelic drugs. Though it's hard to know if it's destruction or liberation... the last shot of him seems to indicate the latter, for me at least. I seriously hope I'm right for he's done enough damage already. 

You can also spot him in a couple of films like Mona Lisa Smile, Flags of Our Fathers and apparently Iron Man 2, Charlie Wilson's War and Reservation Road, too. All small roles, but his part in Mad Men is worth a watch if Slattery spikes your interest. He plays one of the show's most interesting characters, and it seriously looks like the ideal role for this actor, it fits like a charm. I don't know if his low profile is a career choice, but it would certainly be nice to see some more from him. And he's rather photogenic, so... worth sharing some pictures. I've been looking for a reason to post the top photo for over a year!

By the way, anyone knows when season six premieres? I'm getting kind of anxious and can't find the information anywhere. I don't want another year of absence. 

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Five Hitchcock Masterpieces

My trip has been delayed until tomorrow afternoon - this, sadly, has taken all the thunder out of my farewell post. But on the other hand, it gave the once-in-a-year opportunity to make a birthday special on one my favorite artists, Alfred Hitchcock. There's no praise high enough for this man's work. He had his ups and downs, like all of us, but his best pieces make up for a thousand mistakes, creating a considerable amount of films that still stand as unique and exciting, even decades after their time. Mastering the art of suspense with confidence and boldness, Hitchcock's films have been making hearts race for generations, in every sense: with excitement, compassion, repulsion, lust, and fear. And not rarely, all of these go astonishingly hand in hand. 

The following five films are my personal favorites from this director. Of his most acclaimed pieces I have yet to see The Birds, Dial M for Murder, and Rebecca. I've never written a review of a Hitchock film, apart from an impression of Psycho, because I find it immensely hard to express my thoughts and feelings on them - so do understand if some of the next paragraphs are shorter than expected, though they do grow larger towards the end - but the one thing I can confidently say is that every single one of the films below are some of my all time favorites, and that they all are, in their own way, absolutely breathtaking. 

Casey Affleck & Farewell

You may not share his chickens, cows and pigs policy, but there's no denying Casey Affleck is a talented artist. Despite his short repertoire, he has already nailed some pretty impressive roles. Whether obviously great when playing daring characters like in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Killer Inside Me, or in performances that thrive for their subtle depth like in Gone Baby Gone and Gerry, it's the ultra-realistic feel of his acting, the sheer effortlessness and simplicity with which this actor carries himself that makes him both standout and blend on screen. His broken, slightly high-pitched voice and skinny, anxious looks made him a perfect catch for what is one of my all-time favorite performances, Robert Ford - the passionate young man who murdered his biggest idol. You can also see him as an icy sadomasochist killer in the film adaptation of Jim Thompson's disturbing novel, as a guy who gets lost with Matt Damon on the Gran Canyon in a challenging uneventful Gus Van Sant film, or even as a talented martini orderer. 

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I was posting regularly just now, and proudly stated so on this blog - then I stopped blogging for two weeks. How lame is that? Anyway, I'm going on vacation until September and, even if I have internet access where I'm going, I highly doubt I'll be posting much. But I'll still be participating in the upcoming blogathons - I got the posts scheduled, it's all right. So farewell my dear readers! Have a nice couple of weeks, enjoy the summer, and know that Bruce looks dashing with some streaks of grey hair. 

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