Who were Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and are they still considered to be great cinema practitioners? Name at least one film made by each director.

Buster Keaton: He was an American film director and comedian and was commonly known as the “Great Stone Face” in silent film because he would always use dead-faced expressions and for his creative and inventive visual comedy. One film that he directed was “Sherlock Jr.” in 1924.

Charlie Chaplin: He was a British comedy actor and director. He became world famous through his alter ego, “The Tramp” which depicted the poor which Russia at the time could tolerate as the communist government didn’t support the rich, which was a reason why Keaton wasn’t liked in Russia. He was also known for his dangerous stunts and his unpredictable style of comedy which the audience received well. On film that he directed was “The Kid” in 1921.

WHO WERE BUSTER KEATON AND CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND ARE THEY STILL CONSIDERED TO BE GREAT CINEMA PRACTITIONERS? NAME AT LEAST ONE FILM MADE BY EACH DIRECTOR.

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are American directors. They were both very popular all over the world. They didn’t just direct the films they would also act in them. 

Both Keaton and Chaplin are still considered to be revolutionary and an incredible contribution to the film industry.

An example of a Charlie Chaplin film is ‘Modern Times’.

An example of a Buster Keaton film is ‘The General’

Why was DW Griffith’s film ‘Birth of a Nation so successful when it was released in 1915 an why is it so controversial now?

Birth of a Nation was so successful because it was the first 12 real silent film, each reel was around 11 minutes bringing this film to around 3 hours long. This was the longest film available at the time. The film would have been accompanied by a theatre organ because it was able to make a large range of different sounds. However, this film is considered quite controversial now because the film is racists and about american supremacy especially white supremacy. slavery had just been abolished but southern states wanted to keep their slaves on their plantations making cotton and sugar. The now free slaves are now being represented as a threat to the economy and to society. Some actors would paint their faces black for the film and are represented in the film as rapists, drunks and criminals. The KKK had died out before the making of this film but was inspired after and the KKK grew to around 4 million after the film.

Who were Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and are they considered to be great cinematic practitioners? Nema at least one film made by each director.

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were both film directors, producers and actors of the genres Slapstick comedy and Physical Comedy. They would do their own stunts which were dangerous and had to be timed perfectly. They performed in their own films which was why they were considered cinematic practitioners.

‘The General’ by Buster Keaton is a very famous film and expensive film which features a real train breaking through and falling off a bridge. Buster Keaton was well known for using Deadpan in his films which is the action of not making a face when getting hit by a pan or other object.

The soviet union liked charlie chaplin because he is representing the poor in a sympathetic way. Some accused him of being a communist. ‘The Great Dictator’ was made in 1940 by Charlie Chaplin. It feature talkies which meant that that there was dialogue in the film.

Why was DW Griffiths film Birth of a Nation so successful when it was released in 1915  and why is it so controversial now?

The first 3 hour long film which was the longest of its day made it successful however it portrayed black people in negatively such as being unintelligent, sexually aggressive and presented the KKK as a heroic group. most of the actors where white dressing up. High production values and 12 film roles that where changed throughout the film.

Who were Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and are they  still considered to be a great cinema practitioners? Name at least one film  made by each director.

Sir Charlie Chaplin was a famous English comic actor who become popular in the silent era of film. His break through film is “The Tramp” (1914)

Buster Keaton

Charlie Chaplin

He was one of the first stars in Hollywood and made slapstick comedic silent and sound films. He had his own production company so he could control what films he released. One of his most famous films is The Great Dictator (1940) which made fun of Hitler. It was controversial for being political as he broke character at the end.

Buster Keaton

He was a comedic filmmaker and film star. He was famous for doing deadpan slapstick comedies. He also wrote for comedy shows. He did his own stunts so most of them were done in one take. One of his most famous films is The General (1926) which had a big production and he crashed a train into a river. He was later fired because he was not making back the money from the productions.

D.W. Griffin and this ‘Birth of a nation’ is controversial as it portrayed black people as inferior, unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women and presented the KKK as a heroic force. This was popular as it started the forming of the KKK and by 1960 there were over 4 million members. It was also 3 hours long which made it the longest film at the time.

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was a comedic actor who was born in 1889 and eventually ended up owning his own film studio and created physical theater movies and was one of the best actor of his time as his comedic films are hilarious. Chaplin Chaplin never spoke more than cursorily about his film making methods, claiming such a thing would be the same as to a magician spoiling his own illusion.

Why was DW Griffiths film Birth of a Nation was so successful when it was released in 1915 and why is it so controversial now?

It was the first film to have 12 reels of film (most films were 1/2 reels) and it was around 3 hours. It is considered to be the first feature length film. It was about a controversial topic that had recently been in the news, which attracted a large audience. It was a silent film however when shown in the cinema they used a theater organs to play a score.

The film is so controversial now as it was about racism and it brought back the KKK as before the film they had almost died out but since the release of the film the KKK grew to around 4 million people. They freed slaves are represented as threats to the economy and society in general. They did not have enough (and didn’t want to use) many black actors so they painted some white actors in black paint to increase the numbers of them.

Who were Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and are they still considered to be a great cinema practitioners? Name at least one film made by each director.

They were directors of slapstick comedy films. They also did a lot of their own stunts, which were dangerous and if not prepared perfectly they could die. They were their own actors in their films. They were shown from the perspective of the poor as more people can relate to this. Keaton got kicked out of the studio he worked for as his films cost too much to make and did not earn enough at the box office to justify them.

DW GRIFFITH’S FILM BIRTH OF A NATION SO SUCCESSFUL WHEN ITWAS RELEASED IN 1915 AND WHY IS IT SO CONTROVERSIAL NOW?

This film, Birth of a Nation, was so successful due to the fact that it was a full length feature film, being 3 hours long. The production quality of this film was huge and unlike anything seen before.

This film features the accompaniment from a main organ, playing many different pieces of music.

This film is now massively controversial due to the fact it featured the horrific time of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and they were almost glorified in the film, making them out to be heroes. During this film, black people were seen as inhumane and hugely in superior.

As time has gone on, equality has increased massively, and humans are just seen as humans, with a lot less racism, homophobia and white supremacy. This decrease is seen massively in the figures.

The KKK member figures decreased from 3,000,000 to a mere 8000-9000 at present, showing the wake in realisation of how bad this really is.

Why was DW Griffiths film birth of a nation so successful when it was released in 1915 and why is it so controversial now?

The Birth of A Nation was so successful because it was the first 12 film reel ever and it came out to three hours long. It is a silent film however they would use a theater organ in the cinema to play a score. It was so controversial because of the “KKK”, it is a film full of racism again African Americans. In this day of age racism is not accepted at all so controversy is still against this film.

Who were Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and are they still considered to be great cinema practitioners? name at least one film made by each director.

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are American directors. They were both very popular all over the world. They didn’t just direct the films they would also act in them.

 Name at least one film made by each director.​

The General – Buster Keaton

“The General (1926) When Union spies steal an engineer’s beloved locomotive, he pursues it single-handedly and straight through enemy lines.” – IMDb

The Kid – Charlie Chaplin

“A woman decides to abandon her baby in the backseat of an automobile with a handwritten note attached, beseeching the finder to care for and love the child. When the car is stolen by thieves, who discover the baby in the backseat, they subsequently leave him on the street.” – IMDb

Orphans of the Storm – DW Griffith

“Two orphaned sisters are caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution, encountering misery and love along the way.” – IMDb