A rare treat, a Silent comedian in his own words. And all the rarer for this is one of the shyest and introverted people to come out of Hollywood, great Buster Keaton.
This is my first time reading any of his interviews, aside from small bits and pieces in biographies of Buster. I can imagine every word spoken in his deep bass voice.
I read one reviewer said that the interviews are too repetitive, that he says the same thing over and over, but they're only as good as the interviewer asking the same questions ad infinitum.
The earlier couple of interviews are more the results of studio publicity than true in-depth interviews. But once you realize what they are they have a fun of their own.
As we get into the 1950s the interviews are more like, "Well whatever happened to you?"
I have the feeling with these interviews that Buster, at times, can barely conceal is frustration and annoyance but he is ever the gentleman and never badmouths anyone.
Then in the early and middle 60s Buster Keaton experience a renaissance, with the release and exposition of his great silent films.
From out of that comes the best interviews in the book, people asking Keaton's opinions on the other early comedians that he worked with and the technical people in the early days of Hollywood, these interviews are pure gold.
Kevin Brownlow's interview is one of the best in the book. Brownlow has written one of the definitive books on the silent age, The Parade's Gone Bye. Subsequent to the interview Brownlow made it wonderful biography film on Buster, "Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow."
The last interview is a very short piece by Rex Reed talking about Buster's tremendous reception at the Cann Film Festival upon the release of Keaton film for Samuel Beckett in 1965. Keaton is spoken of as the superstar that he very rightly is and Reed makes a point of the two five-minute plus standing ovation that Buster Keaton received at Cann. Buster says happily that he has more work then he can film in the year and has to turn project down. His next project is going to Rome to shoot Richard Lester's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Keaton at 70 says he's full of energy and feels like he could live forever.
The world would lost Buster the next year to lung cancer.
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