The Great Buster: A Celebration explores the life and career of one of America’s true cinematic visionaries, Buster Keaton, the legendary silent film actor, writer and director known for his amazing stuntwork, masterful comic timing and consistently stoic, deadpan expression.
Filled with hilarious and delightful scenes from stunningly restored archival films from the Keaton library, it is directed by Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon, What’s Up, Doc?, The Last Picture Show), an iconic filmmaker in his own right, whose landmark writings and films on such renowned directors as John Ford and Orson Welles have become the standard by which all other studies are measured.
Interspersed throughout are interviews with nearly two dozen collaborators, filmmakers, performers and friends, including Mel Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, Dick van Dyke and Johnny Knoxville, exploring Keaton’s enduring influence on the genre. A detailed study of Keaton’s most celebrated films, both short and feature (including 1926’s The General and 1928’s Steamboat Bill, Jr.), reveals Keaton’s impact on modern comedy and, indeed, cinema itself.
