Chaplin vs Keaton (The General and City Lights)

I am no expert on silent films, I've seen maybe 5 my whole life, but I want to better myself as a person... I want to expand my horizons... I don't want to shelter myself from new (old) things. So I decided to take a stab at two silent film heroes. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. One of the five silent films I've actually watched was Chaplin's Modern Times, which I liked a lot, you can read about if you want... RIGHT HERE. I had heard Keaton is also awesome, if not better, so I'm going to compare the two and let you know where to start... or if you've been there and done that... you'll be able to sit back and feel accomplished.

The General
(1926)
Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton

Synopsis: A train conductor during the civil war goes behind enemy lines to try and save his love interest after she's stolen by The North.

I was extremely impressed with this film. For a movie from 1926 it holds up and was surprisingly entertaining. Its most obvious strength is its action set pieces. Some of the stunts and ideas Keaton unleashes in The General are incredible for the time they were conceived and you can obviously tell this title had a huge impact on other movies that followed. I don't know why, but I expected Keaton to be very goofy, but he plays it more serious than Chaplin, still you'll get those little funny flourishes throughout the movie, which lightens it up. The General would be a perfect movie for someone looking to start with silent films, it's easy, fun and keeps you at bay throughout its run time... which is short.

City Lights
(1931)
Director: Charlie Chaplin

Synopsis: The Tramp stumbles through a series of ups and downs while trying to win the love of a blind flower girl.

I liked The General more than this, but I still think City Lights is a fine movie. It dragged a little at times and I didn't feel as engaged as I did during The General. Like Modern Times (which I also enjoyed more than City Lights) you get tons of funny moments and you can see why Chaplin was considered the innovator that he is. One thing I think he mastered is how to convey a story in an entertaining way, without sound. It's really fascinating seeing what he did when you think about working with that limitation. At the end of the day, I'd recommend this, but I think Modern Times would be the title to start with first.

Modern Times

Modern Times
(1936)
Director: Charles Chaplin (IMDB)

I've never seen a Charlie Chaplin film, and to be honest, before watching The Artist a few weeks ago, I had only seen two other silent films before (Metropolis and Nosferatu.) This is considered by many to be the best movie Chaplin made, and It was also his last silent film. It was essentially a middle finger to the changing times and the fact that he could have made this a "talkie" but decided not to was the first form of punk. Not really, but I would like to believe it was, so fuck you Sex Pistols.

Chaplin is a down and out factory worker trying to make it in the rapidly changing industrialized world of the 1930's. The depression is in full swing and many people still don't have work. He quickly loses his job and finds himself in and out of trouble while trying to keep his shit together. He falls for a young orphan, who he saves from the police, after she's caught stealing bread (kinda like that Temple of the Dog song.) They work odd jobs for a bit, buy a shitty run down shack, and end up walking off together into the sunset.

This movie is very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot, especially the physical comedy of Chaplin. You take for granted how easy it is to make someone laugh by telling a joke, but to do so with no words is an art and one that Chaplin mastered. There's a lot of interesting set pieces, some that stood out were: Chaplin lost inside the machine, Chaplin roller skating blind near the edge of a ledge, and the inside of their shack. The score was really cool and the use of sound effects were well timed. I would recommend if you haven't seen a silent film, start here. If you have, see this anyways.