klloomis

I love Eleanor Powell, so I might be a little biased, but.... I think Powell seems more experienced and is definitely lighter on her feet. More polished. Keeler is much heavier. Keeler always seemed more like a little pixie to me. I enjoyed watching her. She seemed much more innocent. But to watch a dancer. It's always been Powell. She was amazing.

Oh boy, that’s a tough one. Give me a musical with Eleanor Powell. I just love to watch her dance. She is incredible! The first musical that I fell in love with was My Fair Lady. I loved the costumes and the chemistry between the characters. And, of course, the music. I think I saw it twenty times. Then Gigi. I also love quirky musicals like Godspell. I guess I like them all. Lol

Keaton's comedy is much more physical than Chaplin's. When you look at how the scenes are staged, you can see how each part is put together very carefully to create the gag. They are very complex. In contrast, Chaplin makes each scene almost look casual in the delivery.

I found the clip to be interesting. Having the camera in the middle distance made it feel like I was watching the gag on the stage, which I think enhanced the visual of the performance. Has comedy changed since the original clip? I there something missing in the comedy of today? I can see it both ways. I think there's a personal connection to the older films because of the way they were staged that brings the viewer closer to the action. However, I feel the filmmaker had to create the film in that way because of the constraints of the time period. I don't think anything has been lost. I do think things have changed as people's taste in comedy have changed. I find myself watching the clips with my husband, who has never seen any silent pictures. I wanted to see what he thinks of the films as we've been watching them. It's good to see that the gags still have staying power and that he can laugh at what he sees on the screen.

For me, I've always had trouble relating to slapstick because of the violence. I appreciate the physicality of the performance, but the violence has always been something that has turned me away from some of the performances and made me not like the comedic aspect of it. I try to find it funny, but I can't. I am taking the course in order to find a new appreciation of the genre. I think that it will help me to understand (and perhaps give a chuckle) to this great craft.