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carmanj's review
4.0
Terrific! So much more than a rote biography of Buster Keaton. Dana Stevens includes fascinating context of his times and biographical detail of his family and contemporaries. Her prose is gorgeous and erudite as well. Highly recommended!
I love, love, love Buster Keaton. He was a genius whose art transcends time and generational appeal. I've seen most of his silent feature films and shown my favourites to my daughter. Now I'm just hungry for more!
I love, love, love Buster Keaton. He was a genius whose art transcends time and generational appeal. I've seen most of his silent feature films and shown my favourites to my daughter. Now I'm just hungry for more!
blankpagealex's review against another edition
4.0
This is not a biography in the traditional sense - those have already been published about Buster Keaton - but it's more of a look at how his life mirrored the rise of the medium he loved.
The second half of this book was really what drew me in because it features the part of his life with which I am least familiar. The narrative I'd always assumed to be true was that Keaton fell out of favor with the rise of talking cinema and never found inspiration again after his mid-1920s peak. Stevens does a nice job debunking that myth by showing that not only was he creatively active in the latter half of his life through television and live stage performances, but his domestic life was by far the most stable it had ever been.
Early on I was slightly frustrated by lengthy sidebars about Keaton's co-stars or early film critics that don't seem to enlighten much about Keaton or the industry. However, the book gets more focused as it progresses and turns into a very enjoyable read for longtime Keaton fans and newcomers alike.
The second half of this book was really what drew me in because it features the part of his life with which I am least familiar. The narrative I'd always assumed to be true was that Keaton fell out of favor with the rise of talking cinema and never found inspiration again after his mid-1920s peak. Stevens does a nice job debunking that myth by showing that not only was he creatively active in the latter half of his life through television and live stage performances, but his domestic life was by far the most stable it had ever been.
Early on I was slightly frustrated by lengthy sidebars about Keaton's co-stars or early film critics that don't seem to enlighten much about Keaton or the industry. However, the book gets more focused as it progresses and turns into a very enjoyable read for longtime Keaton fans and newcomers alike.
gjmaupin's review
5.0
Just remarkably good. I mean, here I am, remarking on it, so it must be, yes? A perfectly structured, personal yet sweeping piece. I long ago learned that in non-fiction the author is more important than the topic, and this is one of those instances where you don’t need to go in giving the quietest damn about Keaton. You’ll care before you’re done.
toddlleopold's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing. Some interesting tidbits, but more about Keaton’s shadow than Keaton, as if he just weren’t that interesting except in the context of his times. The Great Stone Face reveals little again.
shishuraj's review against another edition
4.0
A fine combination of biography, film criticism and sociopolitical commentary.
One thing that slightly irked me was the constant mention of impending tragedy that struck Buster at the hands of MGM studio heads (Louie B Mayer specifically) which seems like a podcast promise. However it may just have been a way for a Keaton fan to soften the blow for the readers, who are most likely Keaton fans themselves.
Also unless I’ve somehow forgotten, I don’t think we ever learn how the Buster moniker came upon lil Joseph Keaton, only the fact that it wasn’t Houdini who gave it to him.
One thing that slightly irked me was the constant mention of impending tragedy that struck Buster at the hands of MGM studio heads (Louie B Mayer specifically) which seems like a podcast promise. However it may just have been a way for a Keaton fan to soften the blow for the readers, who are most likely Keaton fans themselves.
Also unless I’ve somehow forgotten, I don’t think we ever learn how the Buster moniker came upon lil Joseph Keaton, only the fact that it wasn’t Houdini who gave it to him.
renaplays's review against another edition
4.0
The incomparable Buster, his life and career, and context.