Author James Curtis has a new book coming out and. we couldn't be more thrilled! His many wonderful books include definitive looks at Spencer Tracy, William Cameron Menzies, James Whale and W.C. Fields amongst others and now he brings us an incredible new volume on one of the most inventive and creative personalities the screen has ever known with the release of,
Buster Keaton : A Filmmaker's Life.
Here at Larry Edmunds Bookshop we are very excited to not only be taking pre-orders for signed and personalized copies,
but to welcome those of you who live here to join us in Santa Monica next week at the AERO THEATRE for not one, but TWO chances to enjoy Keaton classics on the big screen and to get a copy of Buster Keaton : A Filmmaker's Life signed by author James Curtis.
Mr. Curtis will also introduce the programs at both screenings.
Next THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17th at the AERO THEATRE join us for OUR HOSPITALITY along with the shorts, THE SCARECROW & NEIGHBORS.
Book signing will be at 6:30 p.m. with the program introduced by author James Curtis at 7:30 pm.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19th at the AERO THEATRE joins us for an afternoon with Buster and the feature GO WEST as well as the shorts THE BOAT & ONE WEEK.
Book signing will be at 2 pm with the program beginning at 3 pm introduced by author James Curtis.
If you can't join us, at least you can order a signed copy of this must have Buster bio at: https://www.larryedmunds.com/product-page/buster-keaton-a-filmaker-s-life
Tickets for both screenings can be found at : https://www.americancinematheque.com
See you at the AERO!
Here is more about the book :
From acclaimed cultural and film historian James Curtis—a major biography, the first in more than two decades, of the legendary comedian and filmmaker who elevated physical comedy to the highest of arts and whose ingenious films remain as startling, innovative, modern—and irresistible—today as they were when they beguiled audiences almost a century ago.
"It is brilliant—I was totally absorbed, couldn't stop reading it and was very sorry when it ended."—Kevin Brownlow
It was James Agee who christened Buster Keaton “The Great Stone Face.” Keaton’s face, Agee wrote, "ranked almost with Lincoln’s as an early American archetype; it was haunting, handsome, almost beautiful, yet it was also irreducibly funny. Keaton was the only major comedian who kept sentiment almost entirely out of his work and . . . he brought pure physical comedy to its greatest heights.”
Mel Brooks: “A lot of my daring came from Keaton.”
Martin Scorsese, influenced by Keaton’s pictures in the making of Raging Bull: “The only person who had the right attitude about boxing in the movies for me,” Scorsese said, “was Buster Keaton.”
Keaton’s deadpan stare in a porkpie hat was as recognizable as Charlie Chaplin’s tramp and Harold Lloyd’s straw boater and spectacles, and, with W. C. Fields, the four were each considered a comedy king--but Keaton was, and still is, considered to be the greatest of them all.
His iconic look and acrobatic brilliance obscured the fact that behind the camera Keaton was one of our most gifted filmmakers. Through nineteen short comedies and twelve magnificent features, he distinguished himself with such seminal works as Sherlock Jr., The Navigator, Steamboat Bill, Jr., The Cameraman, and his masterpiece, The General.
Now James Curtis, admired biographer of Preston Sturges (“definitive”—Variety), W. C. Fields (“by far the fullest, fairest and most touching account we have yet had. Or are likely to have”—Richard Schickel, front page of The New York Times Book Review), and Spencer Tracy (“monumental; definitive”—Kirkus Reviews), gives us the richest, most comprehensive life to date of the legendary actor, stunt artist, screenwriter, director—master.