How I wish I had been able to take that class with you! Buster Keaton is my all time favorite, and never fails to astonish me. Chaplin may have been more popular, but for me Keaton is more interesting.

Roger, you say that Keaton is the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies. Any person who has seen "Sherlock, Jr." and "The General" can certainly agree on his greatness. But what about Orson Welles, the actor-director in four masterpieces - "Citizen Kane", "Touch of Evil", "The Trial", and "Chimes at Midnight"? Those four movies are much more stylish and ambitious than anything Keaton ever did, or pretty much anyone else not named Jean Renoir or Luis Bunuel or Kenji Mizoguchi did.
And let's not forget the masterpiece that Welles directed but did not star in - "The Magnificent Ambersons" and the masterpiece that Welles acted in but did not direct - "The Third Man". Orson Welles is still the greatest actor-director in the history of cinema. "Citizen Kane" alone would almost cement that status, but the other films of Welles make it definitive. I would personally place Keaton fourth among actor-directors, after Welles and Chaplin and Renoir (who is there solely because of his masterful "Octave" in his "The Rules of the Game").

Ebert: Yes, true, but Keaton was able to make more films than Welles, and control every aspect of them. Still, as I need to remind myself, it's foolish to say anyone or anything is "the" best.

Keaton, for all his genius, always struck me as a gutsy, proud but ultimately sad little guy. He once rued being brought up only to get knocked down. Just found another of his lines I had always thought revelatory of the inner Keaton:

"Silence is of the gods, only monkeys chatter."

I also pick up on the inherent sadness in Keaton's work and persona, but to me that's what makes him so fascinating.

Bullshitting about movie "bests" is a futile but often fun endeavor, especially around here. Using Anand's criteria, I'd like to put in a pitch for Clint Eastwood. Doing a quick Rotten Tomatoes check, found Eastwood has ACTED AND DIRECTED in 10 movies that have rated over an 80% approval rating. 6 more have scored over 90%. And 6 others, that he only DIRECTED, got positives of 84/96%. He has been nominated 10 times for Best Picture/Director/Actor Oscars, winning 4 times. Some of his films have been called masterpieces. So far he's made one (Ebert) Great Movie and got countless thumbs up.
Plus the guy is goddamn prolific- 40 years and growing- as a DIRECTOR alone. Remember much of his best work has come after age 60. Next up is HOOVER, which will most likely just further enhance his stature. Clint deserves mention here, even if he is a notch or so below Buster and Orson.

I swear by 'Our Hospitality', I think it's one of the funniest movies ever made.

And 'Tempest in a Flat Hat' by Edward McPherson is a wonderful read, and ensures that whilst Keaton may be gone, he is not forgotten.

As an actor/director, Keaton pushed every boundary of filmmaking. And his stunts and effects continue to astound us today. His nimble mind, incredible athleticism and beautiful deadpan demeanor all worked to create great absurdist art. One of my favorite Keaton anecdotes is that when he got stumped for a storyline or gag, he would interrupt shooting so he and the whole crew could play baseball while he thought up something good. Truly, this man was a filmmaking god among men.

Anyone's "best" is always an IMHO...at best.

For me, Keaton was the topper.

I was always struck by his endless ingenuity and perseverance. There was no problem for which he wouldn't find a solution.

As you pointed out, Roger, The Scarecrow features probably the single best sustained demonstration of his amazing inventiveness. No effort was spared to make things easy.

Glad to hear you love him as much as I do. Just wish more people were open to viewing these silent classics.

Maybe if we got Ted Turner to strip in color shots of Angelina Jolie...

JP

Samuel Becket's Film, starring Buster Keaton.

http://www.ubu.com/film/beckett_film.html

Another recognizable face, in his first film role, is James Karen of The Pursuit of Happyness, Wall Street, Return of the Living Dead 1 and 2, and for several years here in the Northeast, a sort of 'Mr. Stop & Shop' in commercials, ads and store fliers.