Peter Bogdanovich: 'I missed my chance to tell Buster Keaton he was a genius – now I'm telling the world'

The Hollywood director has made a documentary about the silent-era legend, who he rates even above Charlie Chaplin. He explains why it was a project that came from the heart

I must have been six or seven when I first saw Buster Keaton. We were living in New York, and my father took me to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where I saw some Keaton and some Chaplin pictures. I was just a kid, but I loved him right away, and that was the start of the great affection I have for silent comedy.

Somebody once said to Chaplin: “Your camerawork is not very interesting,” and he replied: “It doesn’t have to be. I’m interesting.” But Keaton was great with the camera, and great with the acting as well. While directing the documentary The Great Buster: A Celebration, I came to care for him even more because he is so precise and the timing of the jokes is just flawless.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2I3fY95