Chaplin or Keaton

[Evil Dead Junkie]

I realize I'm just setting myself up for disapointment by asking this on a board were people enjoy old movies almost as much as they enjoy SARS but oh well.

Who do you think is better Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.

Personally while both are absolute geniuses of physical comedy, Chaplin has an emotional and thematic depth in films like City Lights, and Modern Times, that Keaton could only dream of. And he's damn funny to boot.

[B1ade Runner]

What about Kilmer and Clooney?

[Cogito]

I've not seen THAT many of their films, but I don't think you can top Chaplin. I mean, he really was the biggest star of all times, and the most famous man in the world at one point. Plus, he had the character to stand up against anti-Semmitism and pro-nazi sentiment in the years leading up till WWII. He was "accused" of being Jewish -- which he was not, but his brother was half Jewish (his half brother), and he never said he wasn't.

He was treated horribly unfairly by the US government, as J. Edgar Hoover had it in for him, and after a visit to Europe, Chaplin was denied re-entry into the US -- that's why he lived in Switzerland. Of course, no man is perfect, and Chaplin's repeated involvement with girls as young as 16 wasn't exactly admirable...

Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, I think weren't as great, but comperatively speaking, they were both horribly overlooked.

[Josh]

I've actually watched a LOT of Chaplin, mostly when I was a kid. A friend of my Dad's use to have an old Reel to Reel projector, and every Sunday we'd go over there and watch his old Chaplin reels for hours and hours.

I haven't seen so much of Buster Keaton, but I just don't think you can top the greatness of Chaplin.

For him to achieve what he did in a time when SO much was against him and the medium itself was SO primitive and raw, and unfinished, that's just really something. As a performer he's first rate.

[MartyRotten]

Not to fault Chaplin any but I'm afraid I'll have to go with Keaton on this. Keaton seemed more real to me in a lot of ways, had a certain everyman appeal that Chaplin tried for as well. Chaplin sometimes seemed more like a rich guy slumming while Keaton came across as a true working class hero. Plus his delivery was excellent as well, especially his frozen expression, with only the slightest variation, gave him a certain subtlety that put his humor over well. I would recommend SHERLOCK JR. STEAMBOAT BILL JR. and THE GENERAL. (also look for collections of his first shorts with Roscoe (don't call him Fatty) Arbuckle. Arbuckle would have been bigger than all of them had his career not been brought down by a rape scandal. (Although many today, feel that he was framed.)

[Evil Dead Junkie]

Never liked Arbuckle. I just hated his schit it was like an unfunny Oliver Hardy, or like a real Krusty the Clown sketch. :yuck

[Josh]

Didn't like Oliver Hardy? Laurel and Hardy were alright... though I've always preferred Abbot & Costello for my fat man skinny man comedic fix. They were brilliant. Love them more than Stooges, more than Martin & Lewis, more than any of those old time comedic acts. Just brilliantly stupid.

[Evil Dead Junkie]

I've got alot of love for Laurel and Hardy.

[masterthes]

Definitely Chaplin. End of discussion. Next topic.

[Link]

:blat

[MartyRotten]

Laurel and Hardy did a lot of funny silent comedies too. There was one where they were door to door tree salesmen and they end up wrecking this guy's house. The story goes that Mack Sennett bought a house in L.A> just for them to wreck but they accidentally wrecked the wrong house, they were supposed to wreck the one next door!

I'll be they had a lot of explaining to do (and a lot of money to cough up) when the homeowner came back. :)

[Evil Dead Junkie]

Plus you gotta love the classic Piano Sketch.

Abbot and Costello were much more Verbal Humor.

Laurel and Hardy were always more physical.

[charlot]

CHAPLIN to infinity

[Josh]

Hi charlot! Welcome to the Film Hobbit forum.

[Into]

I've never really watched any of Chaplin or Keaton, but I've been a fan of Abbot and Costello, and Laural and Hardy for a long time..they can always crack me up.