Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Buster Keaton

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Buster Keaton, born on October 4, 1895!

Although one of the most hilarious comedians to grace the silver screen, Buster Keaton almost manages to break my heart. Sure, at first glance, Keaton may seem like a funnyman with a great shtick, with a great stone face. But when you watch and analyze the carefully crafted Keaton person, you realize how human the Stone face is.

You see, despite his hilarity, the very core of the Keaton persona is not actually comedy; it’s sadness. Keaton is the classic trope of the longing outsider, the man who wishes for acceptance in a world he could never be a part. He is a comedy of manners but of manners he will never understand. To put it simply, the comedy of Keaton revolves around the feeling of trying too hard to fit in a situation you will never understand. And let’s be honest, who hasn’t been there before? So, to celebrate this melancholy genius, I simply want you to look at this great stone face, and realize the pain it is hiding.

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Buster Keaton‘s great stone face in The General (1926, Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman directors)