Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow

Great subject; perfect execution. Brownlow (author of the wonderful THE PARADE'S GONE BY) has done his work here, and this is one of the best documentaries made so far. Keaton's genius is on full display here, and this history is so thoroughly stunning, fascinating, funny, and watchable that I've just run out of adjectives. Bears up tremendously under repeated viewings. One of two movies which I've noticed brings conversation to a halt in public and private, mesmerizing its audience (the other, funny enough, is THE KING OF COMEDY). Beautiful work.

This is simply a perfect documentary. I cannot find any fault in it or room for improvement, unless it would be to make it an even longer sampling of Keaton's skills. Buster Keaton was a unique master of physical comedy on film and this documentary is a worthy examination of Keaton's life. The music is wonderful. When I see Keaton's films now I wish the music from this documentary was playing with it. Everyone should see this documentary. Many would be surprised at what silent films had to offer.

This takes you from Buster's birth to death in about three hours and three installments with an emphasis on his body of work. It is unusual in that you get quite a bit of interview material from Raymond Rohauer, the man responsible for financially backing the restoration of Buster's films, destined for nitrate decomposition, in the 1950s. And you hear from Keaton himself throughout the documentary, in what looks like interview material that was largely done during the filming of "Buster Keaton Rides Again" made in 1964, two years before his death. Other prominent interviewees are his widow, Eleanor, who comments not only on the time she knew him but on what he had told her about earlier times. What's also insightful are interviews with some of the stuntmen and technicians who worked with him in his silent independent days and during his time at MGM. These aren't film scholars summarizing his work. All of these people actually knew the man.

It gets only a few things wrong. For one, Buster Keaton was not fired by MGM in person by Louis B. Mayer as a result of an argument between the two over his "party mobile" - a luxury motor home parked on the MGM lot. Instead, after "What No Beer?" opened, and was making good money, L. B. Mayer took advantage of the fact that Irving Thalberg was away convalescing due to a heart attack to fire Buster by telegram. And even that could have been patched up by Thalberg when he returned, but Buster demanded Mayer apologize. That was just not going to happen.

I'll also say that the Educational shorts Buster made in the mid 30s get short shrift here too. The documentary mentions "Grand Slam Opera", which in my opinion is brilliant. But some of the others are quite good even if you can tell they were rushed out the door.

Buster's humble but creative spirit comes through the entire documentary. For even as an older man, you can always see that fragile yet rambunctious spirit of his and the intense passion he had for his craft.

I fully concur with all the above. A wonderful film about a wonderfully talented and undersung human being we are lucky enough to have record of in his extraordinary movie clips. The first video is just plain fun and the third video is as satisfying and joyful as the second is painful. Truly a great documentary for anyone who enjoys biography. 10/10

"A Hard Act to Follow" is probably the best documentary of its kind that could have been made. Three hours isn't long enough to document everything about a man's life but it is long enough to give a touching picture of Buster Keaton as a person, and a thoroughly insightful impression of his peculiar brilliance as a comedian and filmmaker.

The use of old film of Keaton's work is extensive and done in exactly the way it should be. It's not just B-roll thrown randomly behind narration or interview audio. Clips selected for that kind of use illustrate what is being talked about perfectly, and are timed and sped or slowed with great precision, probably just as Keaton would have wanted them. Longer extracts do a marvelous job of illustrating his greatest comedy moments, and -- best of all -- film is slowed or enlarged in ways that really illuminate, sometimes in stunning ways, new things about the comedies that even somebody who had seen them dozens of times would not have known. This is one of this documentary's biggest strengths.

Rare footage of Keaton is very generous and aptly introduced too, including home movies, candid shots of his directing, television kinescopes, commercials he created, and lengthy interview material from the man himself.

Another thing that makes this documentary special, and the thing that makes it really irreplaceable, is that, made a not-astronomical 21 years after his death, it is able to include illuminating interviews with Keaton's third wife and other people who knew and worked with him during his lifetime (and they all seem to have a boundless affection for the man).

I think anyone appreciates Keaton's work should see this documentary, and it would probably be an excellent introduction for those who don't already. It's made with an enormous amount of insight, skill, affection, and apprehension.