One Week (1920)

(Where's Bob Vila when you need him?)

You all know how fond I am of Buster Keaton, so I'll do my best to be objective. 

Yeah, right.  ;)

This was a clever, adorable, and thoroughly enjoyable short film - Keaton's first to be released without Roscoe Arbuckle.  In it, he plays a newlywed trying to set up house (and failing miserably).  He's supported by Sybil Seely as his new bride.  Seely does a fine job with Buster, keeping up with the fast-paced gags (even the scary ones!) and even injecting her own vivacity into the story.  Not an easy feat when you're opposite a genius (and a house that's trying to kill you!).  She's quite pretty, too;  I suspect quite a few men in the audience got a thrill out of the bath scene.  Oh, and the stunts!  The stunts alone are nothing short of amazing!

One would be hard-pressed to give much of Keaton's work a bad review...but this short, especially, is a lot of fun and highly recommended. 
 

I give this one:   

Happy Thanksgiving!

All those who celebrate it:  have a lovely holiday, filled with many blessings.  ^_^

Happy Thanksgiving!

All those who celebrate it:  have a lovely holiday, filled with many blessings.  ^_^

A little different this week.

This week was to be for Florence Lawrence, and so it still is...but when I sat down to write a poem, I wrote a song instead.  I'm still working on the music for it, but here are the lyrics.  ^_^


you can see her in the chair

on a monday in the afternoon
waiting for the call


will they need somebody's mother?
or merely some atmosphere
or nothing now at all




that streetcar seems so long ago
her making and her breaking
her start and yet her fall




CHORUS
 her name means flowers
and if you talk to her
they bloom as bright as yesterday
when all the world was wanting her
her name means flowers
and if you look at her
her face is still a bright bouquet
but lately things are haunting her




Wasn't so long ago
the crowds would run to get a seat
and watch her on the screen

She was a mystery
who was that gorgeous creature up there
stealing every scene


And then a whirlwind made her known
They said her name, they brought her fame
the hollywood machine


CHORUS




Bridge:


Time ticks on
And after they dispose of you
There's no one left that knows of you
Your head's held high
but in your eyes are words unspoken
you're tired and your heart is broken

this monday florence wasn't there
her legacy an empty chair

Florence Lawrence, the First Movie Star

Oh the humanity!

I had a plan.

I was going to watch M last night, and review it for you bright and lovely folks.

My rickety old VCR had other ideas.

Ones involving wavy lines.  Lots and lots of wavy lines.  And snow.







More reviews coming as soon as I get my fist out of the videotape slot.

Pathélogical

Daughter of the perilous,
was anything you told us true?
Did it matter in the end?
We still fell in love
with the person you showed us,
a fearless ball of fire
glowing like your namesake.
Grit's all you need
when the world is your oyster.

Pearl White