Review of The Cameraman (1928) by Daniel K — 27 Aug 2013

How does anyone follow a two year period of productivity in which they conceive of, star in and effectively direct two feature-length works of comedy genius, 1926's 'The General' and 1928's 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' (as well as one lesser but still terrific flick, 1927's 'College')? It must have been a tough proposition, but Buster Keaton effectively took the choice out of his own hands. Those classic movies he made between 1926 and 1928 were also financial disappointments, and with his box office stature diminishing Keaton elected to sign with one of the major Hollywood studios, MGM; after years of complete creative control over his features, it was a move he would always regret.

It also meant that immediate compromises were forced on his first project for MGM, 'The Cameraman'. According to different sources on the net, it appears that MGM forced Keaton to stick rigorously to the script (which meant cutting down on the improvisation that had characterised his work up to the point) and, in order to appease the insurers, he was instructed not to undertake any of his characteristic dangerous stunt work (for which he was, and is, famous).

Knowing the production's background can complicate any modern-day viewing of 'The Cameraman'. It's easy to start speculating about which aspects of the production were forced on Keaton, and there are elements to the film that are undoubtedly out of step with his recent work. As an example, it's hard to see the addition of a comedy monkey-sidekick as not being the result of studio interference, and there is a far greater emphasis on sentimentality and romance than in his previous films. Until now the romantic angles in Keaton's films always felt more like MacGuffins, there simply to generate action rather than because he considered them to be intrinsically interesting in and of themselves. Here Buster's romancing of Sally (Marceline Day) takes up the majority of screen-time, and it's more than a little Chaplinesque, almost as if MGM were trying to mold Buster into a screen personality more reminiscent of the Little Tramp.

Luckily, Keaton's ill-fated wooing of the winsome and patient Sally is both incredibly charming and very funny, and is interspersed with some fantastic bits of business; Buster playing a one-man game of baseball is both funny and oddly touching, while his visit to the city's swimming baths on a first date is a fantastic escalation of slapstick misfortune, the crown jewel of which is a close encounter in a very crowded changing room (I've heard that Keaton later helped to write material for the Marx Brothers after that trio joined MGM, and its tempting to imagine that he remembered this sequence and re-imagined it for the famous stateroom scene in 'A Night at the Opera'). The most memorable image in 'The Cameraman' is both simple and brilliant; Buster's head cutting through the water, his eyes a picture of low cunning as he homes in on another patron's bathing suit...

Despite the watchful eye of MGM insurers, Buster also manages to fit in a handful of dangerous stunts, including negotiating the exterior of a moving bus while on one of his dates, and escaping from a high-impact boat crash while trying to rescue Sally from drowning in the final act. In fact, for a while the second half of 'The Cameraman' actually feels like it's heading towards a full-blown Keaton stunt-spectacular, with a (very politically incorrect) Tong War erupting in Chinatown and Buster desperately trying to get into the middle of it. However, the film pulls back from engaging in the inspired lunacy that powered 'The General' or 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' in favour of a number of well-observed satirical gags at the expense of the media, many of which haven't aged a day (witness him putting a knife into the hand of a battling thug in order to spice up the contents of his film-reel).

People often approach 'The Cameraman' in a 'glass half- empty' kind of way, looking at it as the beginning of the end for one of cinema's true originals, the moment that he gave up his artistic freedom to a bunch of corporate money-men who effectively ruined his career. I don't think that's giving either the movie, or Keaton himself, a fair shake. I prefer to think of 'The Camerman' as a 'bonus' feature, one that we're lucky to have (MGM not only interfered in the production, but didn't take the best of care of their master print; the film was considered lost for many years). After 85 years it remains a witty, clever, sweet, satirical, hilarious romantic comedy that continues to showcase one of cinema's greatest talents; stripped of his signature stunts, his quiet mastery of smaller-scale silent screen comedy just shines all the brighter.

A small addendum; I saw 'The Cameraman' at Auckland's Civic Theatre as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, with live orchestral accompaniment (The Auckland Philharmonic playing a terrific Timothy Brock score and hitting all of their comical cues to perfection). The so-called 'silents' surge back into vital life when accompanied by live music; if anyone who reads this has never experienced a silent film in the cinema with live music, I can't recommend it enough. The Civic itself is a beautiful old-school movie palace that mostly accommodates live shows these days, but every year around Festival time it hosts dozens of film showings and, as a venue, there's none better; do a Google image search on 'Auckland Civic' to get a taste of its spectacular surroundings and atmosphere, and definitely catch a showing if you ever get the chance.