I think my friend Garrison looks like Buster Keaton.
Anyway, when I first mentioned to a friend that I was going through some Keaton films, he noted how much of an athlete Keaton was. Boy, isn't that the truth. Watch the train sequence when he's trying to fire the cannon from the back of his engine in "The General." The physical prowess of the man is remarkable. Anyone can be a physical comedian (look at the Three Stooges), but not many can pull off the raw physicality of carrying an entire action scene for 10+ minutes.
"Sherlock Jr." is probably my favorite from these three. It's really funny, which is only odd because I've not taken a lot from the silent films I've viewed. I recognize what they meant to the medium, but I never came away thinking, "Wow, what an awesome movie!"
Keaton's film are legitimately funny. The scene where he's sweeping out the trash from the theater and finds the dollar only to have the women come and claim it. When the tall, thick man comes around, he assumes he's looking for his dollar so Keaton's character gives him cash out of his own pocket. Unfortunately, the man had lost his entire wallet with a handful of money in it.
Keaton comes off as the lovable loser without having to hear a word. His hang dog face just oozes empathy.
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