Almost everything you say about Buster Keaton and his stunt-work in vaudeville and silent movies is true. But you have to remember that '...Forum' was made 40 years later, while he was in his 70's, and most people's body aren't as supple at that age. Plus he'd already broken his neck once during the filming of 'Sherlock, Jr.', when he landed badly on a rail. (This was discovered only many years later, through an x-ray.) However, if I recall the 'American Masters' series correctly, the 'house' incident did not involve a purpose-built structure; it was a real house. The crew sliced the front off it, Buster marked off where the window would be when it fell, and then the front was winched back into place. When it came time for the actual filming, the camera crew couldn't look, because they were sure Buster would be killed. (If you look carefully, you can see someone inside the house, giving it a push so that it will fall properly; he then scampers off-camera.)
In the TV series 'American Masters' episodes on Buster Keaton, British stuntman Mick Dillon was finally allowed to reveal that it was he who did the long-shots of Erronius running between the racing chariots, though there is one close-up of Buster not too far from the action behind him. Horses can go 35 mph at full gallop. While that may not sound like much, try dodging a car going that speed when it's heading straight for you, out of control. If any of the racing horses had gotten away from the chariot-drivers and headed in his direction, he could have been badly hurt, if not killed.
However, anything that involves physical risk, however minor, is considered a 'stunt', because if anything goes wrong, it can cost a horrendous about of time and money. Even Amanda Tapping, in an early episode of SG-1, sustained a concussion in a fight sequence when she was pushed too hard into the wall of an elevator. The producers were not going to risk anything happening to a screen legend like Buster Keaton.
reply
share
Chrissie
14 years ago
I recognize the fact that Buster wouldn't be as spry as he once was, but he still had a head full of experience and a very strong grasp of what he (at any age) was or wasn't capable of. It's a matter of trusting the man's judgment, which seemed like a basic matter of respect. If Buster said he was able to do a stunt, then he was able to do it. If he said, "We'll need a double for that one," then get a double. Trust the man. Especially since the core hurt of what MGM had done to him was that they simply DIDN'T trust him.
He was 70 years old. He was dying. This was his last hurrah. Give him as much of his dignity as possible. Treat him as if he knows what he's doing.
I figured that the chariot race shot involved playing with depth of field in order to give the illusion that Buster and the horses were much closer to each other than they really were. I figured the long shot was probably shot at a faster speed to give the illusion that the chariots were speeding through the forest a lot faster than they were. Perhaps that can't readily be done without somebody like Elgin Lessley at the crank. I don't know enough about modern film equipment to say how much they could have played with the film speed.
I'll have to see that "American Masters" episode. Can it be bought, or viewed online?
And how much of "The Railrodder" was Keatonesque stunts and how much was FX/doubles?
reply
share
NY Whovian
14 years ago
I think there was a lot of trust on the '...Forum' set, actually. But even that little jump of the bottom step could have been a problem if he'd landed wrong. Weirder things have happened. However, apparently the big problem with the tree bit was that it was an ad-lib, so the crew weren't expecting, and though he'd really hurt himself.
Yes, there was some depth-of-field distortion in the close-up of Buster, but in the long shots, the horses are at a flat-out gallop. It's not as easy to fake speed with a horse as it is with a car.
The 3-part retrospective was 'Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow'. It was filmed in England, and shown in America on the series 'American Masters'. I don't know if it's available on DVD. My copy is a personal dub from TV.
Unfortunately, I don't know much about 'The Railrodder', but according to BK:AHATF, he did everything himself after much planning to make things as safe as possible. On the other hand, I've only seen the clips, and nothing was particularly dangerous, except maybe where he's standing on the handcar with no one to steer it.
reply
share
Chrissie
14 years ago
He was going about a lot of his business on a moving handcar. There was always the risk of him falling off and getting hurt.
There's a shot of him jumping off a bridge into the Thames but I suspect that Buster himself would be the one wanting a stunt double for that at his age. Though you never know; they may have had to insist.
"American Masters" was put out by PBS in the US, which to me means that it was done with my tax money which means that they at least owe us the opportunity to watch it on DVD. There's no point in buying the VHS since that's obsolete technology that will quickly be unviewable as the remaining VHS players conk out.
reply
share
gonelunch1
13 years ago
@NYW...I'm with you. BK was awesome and although he may have done stunts back in Hollywood's primitive days, whether or not he did them himself was pretty much immaterial to the genius of "The Great Stoneface." He was a gifted comedian and a gifted stuntman...two talents that are, and generally should be, distinct. The fact that he had both talents is just gravy on the great big hot turkey sandwich of ol' Damfino.
reply
share
scotpens
8 years ago
I figured the long shot was probably shot at a faster speed to give the illusion that the chariots were speeding through the forest a lot faster than they were.
I assume you mean shot at a SLOWER speed (undercranked), which speeds up the action when the film is projected at normal speed.
All the universe or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?
reply
share