Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they so important?

They were all revolutionary film makers/actors that pushed film to its fullest potential during their time in their field. For example Keaton looked deeply into cameras and how they worked in order to use it to its fullest potential. Lloyd was famous for his scene in The General where he actually blew up a bridge and drove a train into a lake. Additionally because these films were silent, they were able to be shown internationally without the need for translation.

The General 1926 – Keaton as the director

Modern Times 1936 – Chaplin as pretty much everything.

Safety Last 1923 – Lloyd co-wrote the screenplay

Toto – Italian film director that based his films and persona off of Chaplin

Tati – Once gain modeled himself off of Chaplin. Tati was a French filmmaker

1.)  Buster Keaton was a American comedian and director who directed many breakthrough films during the silent era, Charlie Chaplain was a actor who made many successful films during the silent era, he was a method actor who used his theatrical experience to communicate with the audience. Harold Lloyd was one of the first big stars that was recognized in the Hollywood industry

2.) Keaton: The General (1926)

Chaplain: The Great Dictator (1940)

Lloyd: Safety Last (1923)

3)Toto and Jac Tati

Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd were film directors who helped develop the way we use film. For instance, they devolved the use of physical gags, which were perfect for silent films. These films were able to be spread world wide without the need of translation. Keaton preferred to look into how cameras worked when it came to films, while Chaplin focused in on improvisation and performance, and Lloyd always took stunts too far and preformed the more dangerous acts.

A example of each of their films are:

• Buster Keaton – The Camera Man – 1928
• Charlie Chaplin – The Tramp – 1915
• Harold Lloyd – Safety Last – 1923

The Italian version of Charlie Chaplin was called Toto, while the French version of Chaplin was called Jacques Tati.

1) Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, and why were they so important to the success of the Hollywood silent era?
They were comedic actors who rose to fame during the silent era of Hollywood. They became global stars, as the silent films were accessible by any culture.

2) Name a film starring each of the above.
Sherlock Jr (dir. Buster Keaton, 1924)
The Kid (dir. Charlie Chaplin, 1921)
Safety Last! (dir. Fred  C Newmeyer, 1923) – starring Harold Lloyd

3) Who were the Italian and French equivalents of Charlie Chaplin?
Toto was the Italian equivalent, and Jacques Tati was French.

1.) Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they so important to the success of Hollywood in the silent era?

Buster Keaton, was an American actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer. He was known as “The Great Stone Face” due to his well known trademark in this silent films of physical comedy with a deadpan expression.

Charlie Chaplin was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, “The Tramp”, and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry.

Harold Lloyd was an American actor, comedian, director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer who is best known for his silent comedy films. Lloyd made nearly 200 comedy films, both silent and “Talkies”, between 1914 and 1947.

2.)  Name a film (with date) starring each of the above.

Buster Keaton: The Cameraman (1928)

Charlie Chaplin: The Great Dictator (1940)

Harold Lloyd: Safety Last (1923)

3.) Who were the Italian and French equivalents of Charlie Chaplin?

Italian: Toto

French: Jacques Tati

Who was Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they important to to the success of Hollywood’s silent era ?

Buster Keaton was an American film comedian and director, the “Great Stone Face” of the silent screen, known for his deadpan expression and his imaginative and often elaborate visual comedy.Charlie Chaplin was a comedian in the silent film era, As was Harold Lloyd, these were some of the first comedic movie stars, they used physical comedy.

Name a film featuring each of these comedians.

The great dictator (1940) Charlie Chaplin

The General (1926) Buster Keaton

1.) Who directed Birth of a Nation and why is it now considered to be controversial?

Birth of a Nation was directed and co-produced by D.W Griffith. It is controversial because it glorified issues such as racism, slavery, sexism and made them out to be happy and peaceful after the Civil War.

2.) Which Nation’s film industry did Cousin’s say was best in the world?

Denmark

3.) Name two films and two directors from 1903-1916 that Cousins deemed Remarkable?

Cousins deemed “Haxan”, directed by Benjamin Christensen, as a remarkable danish film

Buster Keaton was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic,  expression which earned him the nickname “The Great Stone Face

He starred in and directed the 1926 action ‘The General’

Charlie Chaplin was a prominent slapstick comedy star from 1914 onwards.
Perhaps most notably, Chaplin starred in and directed ‘The Kid’ in 1921

Harold Lloyd was one of the most popular and influential film comedians of the silent film era. He was most-known for his famous ‘glass’ character, in tune with 1920s-era United States. He starred in ‘Safety Last!’ in 1923 directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor

Their films could become global, since they were silent so aspects could be adapted and inspired from the work of the three stars

The Italian equivalent to Chaplin was called Toto

Jacques Tati was considered the French equivalent to Chaplin due to the similarities in slapstick, silent acting

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