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Customer Reviews of The Silent Clowns

An eloquent, magnificent celebration of silent comedy
Walter Kerr was one of the premiere theater critics of his generation, but he managed as well to write beautifully, movingly, and fascinatingly about the Golden Age of screen comedy. Although he does in the course of his book write about many comedians, much of the focus of the book is on who he considers the four great silent comics or clowns: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Harry Langdon.

Kerr has never quite sold me on his own evaluation of these four great figures of silent comedy. Clearly he loves Buster Keaton, and I will admit that my own high regard of Keaton comes in large part from Kerr's discussion of his comedy in this work. Chaplin I have never enjoyed quite as much, despite acknowledging his genius. His famous pathos strikes me now as a relic from another age, and while I can work myself into a point of view to appreciate it, it doesn't stick with me as a way of viewing things after moving away from the film and back into normal life. In short, the emotions in Chaplin always strike me as artificial, which wouldn't be a problem except for the enormous emphasis that Chaplin himself places on them. Despite Kerr's advocacy, I have never seen the charm of Harold Lloyd. I have now seen quite a number of his films, but despite his enthusiasm and energy, and my own admiration of his performing all those astonishing stunts in spite of having lost much of one of his hands, his films simply do not move me. Keaton and Chaplin both make me laugh, but Lloyd only makes me smile at best. Harry Langdon I still have not seen, but it was reading this book that created in me a still-unfulfilled desire to see at least his three great films. The numerous stills of Langdon create a powerful impression. I still hope someday to see his films, primarily THE STRONG MAN, TRAMP TRAMP TRAMP, and LONG PANTS.

I go into detail about this because this is the kind of excitement and interest Kerr manages to generate in his book. We tragically live in an age where many cannot abide a black and white film, let alone a silent one. Yet Kerr can get you genuinely excited about these films. Buster Keaton is one of my favorite performers, and I have to thank Kerr more than anyone for that being so. He writes so passionately and intelligently about these performers that he creates an inner need in his reader to experience these films first hand. As great as the text is, the stills chosen to illustrate the book are extraordinary.

THE SILENT CLOWNS belongs in the library of any film junkie, now merely because it is a glorious depiction of a time long past, but because it is a specimen of flat out gorgeous writing. Critics now tend to be far more scholarly in their writing. Kerr, although he certainly is not unscholarly, is also a masterful prose stylist. He doesn't merely write about memorable individuals, he writes about them memorably.

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A Wonderful Book
Walter Kerr's The Silent Clowns is a must. Tons of great pictures and details on Buster, Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy- but also on lesser known "clowns". It is obvious how much Mr. Kerr loved his work. At one point he talks about how he enjoyed going to Buster Keaton movies as a youth. This book lives up to the hype as the greatest book ever on silent comedy. You can read this book 50 times and still enjoy it.

*Get the HARDCOVER version. The paperback version does not do this book justice.

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THE indispensable book on silent comedy
This book is not only the single best volume ever written about silent film comedy, but the best about silent film, period. Only Kevin Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By even comes close. There are chapters on the mechanics and aesthetics of silent film that should be read by everyone with an interest in the form. In addition, his chains of reasoning and perceptions are put forth with an aptness and lucidity that conceals the depth of the intellectual analysis. The elegantly straightforward prose makes this book a joy to read from start to finish. Further, in addition to covering the film work of the "big four" (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, and Langdon) Kerr also sheds welcome light on lesser-known and even forgotten figures, such as the "unexpected" Raymond Giffith. Finally, this is a book that was well-produced on every level, right down to the layout, chapter headings, and fonts. Numerous film stills of every size (inluding some generous two-page spreads) make it a feast for the eyes as well as the mind, cogently and often playfully setting off the text. The original hardback edition published by Knopf was meant as a sort of intelligent coffee-table book (most assuredly NOT an oxymoron in this case), and the present oversized-paperback edition provided by the good folks at Da Capo should be seen in the same light. Both a celebration of silent comedy and a superb investigation of the form. Also a book that you can dip into again and again over the years with undiminished pleasure and come away with reinvigorated enthusiasm for the subject. If you don't have it, get it.