Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century
- Downloads：9705
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-25 18:21:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dana Stevens
- ISBN：1501134191
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Summer Brennan
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I just loved this book so much。 The first time I sat down to read just a few pages of it， hours had passed before I looked up again。 There’s a fantastic interview with the author on Fresh Air， which I highly recommend you listen to。 Stevens， film critic for Slate， has a brilliant way of weaving together the life of Keaton with the century that was unfolding around him。 Her passion for the topic is palpable; I found this incredibly interesting and surprisingly moving。
Jeannie MacDonald
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Dana Stevens’ Camera Man is a must-read study of Buster Keaton’s life， work， and creative impact on the 20th century。 As an ardent Keaton admirer， I appreciate Stevens’ upfront admission that she’s an unabashed Buster fan， yet that confession never sugarcoats Stevens’ take on the actor-director’s darker moments。 Starting with Keaton’s “born in a trunk” childhood as a human wrecking ball in his parents’ stage act， through his adult struggles with sobriety and eventual comeback， Stevens delivers a Dana Stevens’ Camera Man is a must-read study of Buster Keaton’s life， work， and creative impact on the 20th century。 As an ardent Keaton admirer， I appreciate Stevens’ upfront admission that she’s an unabashed Buster fan， yet that confession never sugarcoats Stevens’ take on the actor-director’s darker moments。 Starting with Keaton’s “born in a trunk” childhood as a human wrecking ball in his parents’ stage act， through his adult struggles with sobriety and eventual comeback， Stevens delivers a deeply satisfying portrait of a legend who didn’t just make film comedies。 He created a timeless art form。In addition to Stevens’ detailed coverage of Keaton’s personal trials and professional triumphs， she masterfully puts Keaton’s career into historical context。 She captures the grit and grind of vaudeville， the exhilarating early days of moviemaking， the ruthless politics and culture of Hollywood’s Golden Age – memorably recapping a 1932 Christmas “bacchanalia” at MGM that found Keaton， Jean Harlow， and production chief Irving Thalberg boozing it up like it was their job。 So much for the studio’s glossy claim to have “More stars than there are in Heaven。” These were fallible human cogs in the dream factory’s pressure-cooker machinery。Stevens’ reporting covers the full sweep of Keaton’s life。 Here， she succinctly describes him hitting the skids in the early ‘30s: “Suddenly， he found himself entirely congruent with his times: a depressed person at the height of the Great Depression， an alcoholic facing the end of Prohibition， an unemployed divorcé taking whatever work he could get to support his dependent family。” （I would substitute “moochy” for “dependent，” personally。）Threaded throughout Keaton’s story are colorful snapshots of his friends and contemporaries， from famous writers like F。 Scott Fitzgerald and the stellar wits of the Algonquin Round Table， to largely forgotten Broadway headliners （Bert Williams， who in 1910 became “the first black featured performer in the Ziegfeld Follies”）; from tragic silent screen idols （Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and Mabel Normand）， to next-gen TV icons （Keaton coached schooled Lucille Ball in physical comedy）。Chaplin may have （unironically） called himself “an artist，” but Keaton would reportedly “recoil” from anyone who plied him with “that genius bullsh*t。” Stevens reveals how Keaton’s unsentimental， just-get-on-with-it attitude permeated his life， on screen and off。 He was candid about his weaknesses （“I’m not a drinker。 I’m a drunk。”）， and lousy at marriage （Wife #1 exiled him to Sexual Siberia after bearing two sons; Wife #2 sold Keaton’s beloved dog out of spite while he was in rehab; fortunately， Buster found lasting happiness with Wife #3 Eleanor。） Most of all， Stevens’ bio provides ample evidence that Keaton truly was a comic genius。 （Sorry， Buster！） You needn’t be a Keaton fan to enjoy Dana Stevens’ book。 But you will surely become one by the end of it。 。。。more
Christopher
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Fantastic！
Autumn
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Keaton's life as a microhistorical lens for the 20th century。 Accessible to new fans while containing plenty that will delight dedicated Buster maniacs （like myself）。 The new best place to start these days， for sure。Stevens did a great job finding 'teachable moments' in Buster's bio and films that allowed her to discuss some of the issues that will naturally interest 21st century readers: race and minstrelsy; mental health/addiction; the role of women in silent film and child labor/abuse， among Keaton's life as a microhistorical lens for the 20th century。 Accessible to new fans while containing plenty that will delight dedicated Buster maniacs （like myself）。 The new best place to start these days， for sure。Stevens did a great job finding 'teachable moments' in Buster's bio and films that allowed her to discuss some of the issues that will naturally interest 21st century readers: race and minstrelsy; mental health/addiction; the role of women in silent film and child labor/abuse， among them。 Without being heavy handed， she gently guides readers down relevant paths like "Have you heard of Bert Williams？" and "Exploitation， abuse， or success: Buster Keaton， Child Star"。 Not all of it is so serious tho -- I loved learning all about Childs restaurants and that one critic who loved Buster and became a speechwriter for FDR。 The research is pretty marvelous -- there are tidbits from Louise Brooks' letters to Tom Dardis！ （Swoon）。 I found out what Eleanor's favorite 70s sitcom was！ TLDR: Camera Man is written by a dedicated critic and historian who has been thinking about Buster constantly for 20 years at least。 It is written with love， respect， wonder， and clarity。 。。。more
Fraser Sherman
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