Let me elaborate on each of the above:
Social Issues: Here are a few moments in this film that got me thinking about various social issues:
- The black slave who brings them dinner: I was fascinating by the way that the characters (and the film itself) weren't concerned at all with the fact that the characters were being served by a slave. We see it happen but, in the plot of the film, it is incidental. This says something about how slavery was viewed in 1830 (the setting of the film) and 1923 (when the film was made) and now (when I watched the film).
- The antagonists want to kill Keaton's character because of a feud but their code of honor keeps them from killing him when he's a guest in their home: I believe this is a 1920's filmmaker intentionally satiring the ethics of 1800's southerners.
- The man beats his wife but when Keaton's character intervenes, she beats him and then the man resumes what he was doing: I laughed at this moment but then felt bad because it really is a pretty insensitive treatment of something as terrible as domestic violence. Today, I don't know if a movie could do this joke as it was done in Our Hospitality and have it considered in good taste.
Coincidences and Misunderstandings: The entire plot of this film revolves around Keaton's character accidentally ending up a guest in the home of people who want to kill him and a good number of the individual gags revolve around people misunderstanding what is happening at the moment.
Your assignment: answer two of the following questions:
- Do you have anything to say about any of the three social issues I pointed out above. Do you agree or disagree with any of the points I made? Why? Did you notice any of the same things? In what ways did the film help you think about any of these social issues in new ways?
- Did you notice any social issues highlighted by the film which I didn't point out? If so, what were they? In what way did the plot or gags highlight them?
- So far, do you like Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton better? Why?
- What do you feel the filmmakers did well with Our Hospitality? What did they do poorly?
- Did you find the film funny? Why or why not?
Genres assignment: in addition to answering two of those questions, also answer the following:
- In a couple of weeks, you are going to start developing your own silent comedy scripts. As you watch the films we've watched so far in class, what have you learned that you want to be sure to do in your scripts? What have you learned that you want to avoid?
i thought it was a good movie for the story that has both action and romance. the stuns in this movie buster is great in this movie . i thought this was funny for buster is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and this movie has good charters and the end of the movie its a good ~yamigaia (jesse miller)
ReplyDeleteSomething that stood out to me was towards the end, when around the time with the waterfall. I found it interesting that when the man came to help, without question the blanket went to the woman. I feel like that's a dying concept; chivalry. In modern times, there probably would've been an argument, assuming anyone came to help period. Sometimes, people are unwilling to help. Whether they're too busy or not, we have a mentality of moving from point A to point B without really considering others, even if they're situations are able to be resolved without much real thought or action.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see a lot of Harold Lloyd, but from what I did see I enjoy Buster Keaton more. I find his comedy to be a bit more snappy and, well... Funny. Buster was also a lot easier to watch. I found myself nodding off during Harold Lloyd, and being extremely uninterested. (Brennan Hanks)
I never really thought about the social issues, simply because it was more historically accurate to make the film this way.
ReplyDeleteI think I have enjoyed Buster Keaton's work more, simply because of the more hands on stunts (not that "Safety Last wasn't great") and all the running!
When I watch a movie I normally don't notice all the poorer shot choice unless it's really obvious!
The film was one of the funniest silents I have seen! It's very hilarious to see people not notice things right in front of them, as well as ridiculous feuds between families. This film really showed that!
Well, I agree with the social issues that were pointed out, they seem like they're correct, especially from the time that the movie was based on. In the 1800's things like this were fairly common, black slaves, domestic violence, code of honors, and other things. Yes, I noticed when these social issue type of things happened in the movie. It helped me think more about how they were like and the things that would happen at that time.
ReplyDeleteYup, I found the film to be pretty funny and entertaining. I liked the physical comedy and the other comedic things that occured in this film. Like for instance, I really like the part when Buster was first walking away from the antagonist's house and the brothers were shotting at him as he was, and none of the bullets hit him; due to the guns being muskets and having bad range. Then he noticed after a while. Also I thought that the train ride in the begining was pretty funny, with all the bumps and stuff.
Another great one from Buster Keaton. This movie was very well written, the jokes are funny, and the story was great. The Story was very good although the first half of the movie was okay I didn't care much of the prologue and the train scene is funny but I think it went a bit too long. But the 2nd half picked it up for me.
ReplyDeleteThe Acting is very awesome Buster Keaton has one of the funniest facial expressions of the whole movie. I don't have much to say about this one but it's another great one If I was comparing this to 7 chances I like both but if someone put a gun to my head I would pick 7 chances but I like this one.
A-
Cameron Olsen . . . Buster Keaton's Our Hospitality
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the film, I was kind of thinking of the social issues that it featured. When the African-American slave was on screen I was actually thinking almost exactly what you wrote. I was thinking: "Hurm. There is a slave there but nobody is making a big deal about. It's probably just how it was back then. There was a slave there, but there were slaves everywhere, and it wouldn't be historically accurate to put any extra attention on the slave by having, say, Keaton freaking out about how wrong it is, because to people of the 1800's, it wasn't wrong, it was just a thing that happened everywhere." This definitely made me think of how slavery was viewed in the three different time periods: It was like a normal thing in 1800's (at least to the white southerners to see), people were aware of it in the 1920's but whether they thought was right or wrong is beyond me (especially because of that racist moment in Seven Chances when Keaton was about to ask that random girl on the sidewalk to marry him, but when he realizes she's black he turns away), and now in the year of 2014 we mainly see it as being wrong (as most of us were surprised to see it in the movie, and to see how it was kind of ignored by the main white folks).
So far, I like Buster Keaton better than Harold Lloyd. I do like the nerdy optimism of Harold Lloyd and the building climbing scene in Safety Last!, but I really like The General from Buster Keaton, and that great film in addition to all the other films we've watched in this class equal me liking Buster Keaton more. Buster Keaton, in the midst of all his comedy, very greatly puts drama into the mix of his films, as seen a lot in The General, and also in the very beginning scene of Our Hospitality, and I really like that added drama in the middle of all the comedy. I also like the altogether comedy style of Keaton more, it is a lot more all out slapstick with him getting hurt a bunch and everything, rather than the more awkward nerdy-ness of Harold Lloyd's comedy. He even has some darker comedy in his films, such as the part in The General when he accidentally kills the northern soldier when the blade on his sword comes loose and flies off, which I really like. I really do like Buster Keaton.
Great post, Cameron. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this.
DeleteI really like Buster Keaton, but I still have to go with Harold Lloyd as my favorite. I think that this movie fit into a lot of what I enjoy in Harold Lloyd films, but he just doesn't really pull off the everyday man that Harold Lloyd does. His deadpan look, though very funny, it often made him seem out of this world and un relatable.
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was made very well, the back story was a little confusing, I really wanted to know why there was a feud with the family, but other than that, I think that it was really good from there. I thought that the relationship between the daughter and Buster made sense for the time it was in, and I thought I was a hilarious version of a cat-and-mouse chase. Overall, I thought it was a great movie, And I would recommend it to everyone.
-Jovanie
I know I've said this before, but I just don't find Harold Lloyd to be funny. I think he's entertaining and am willing to watch his films, but he doesn't make me laugh. I like Keaton the best of the 3 because I just think that his humor is the funniest. He seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
ReplyDeleteI think this film is very funny. I especially like the part with the train and the tunnel, but I find all of it to be hilarious.
I'm still drawing blanks as to what my story will be, but I know it will all have Keaton-like humor.
I wasn't here to watch this film but I finally did and I loved the plot and I loved the humor. But I still like Harold Lloyd's humor better. I okay with Buster Keaton, but I find Harold Lloyd to be funnier.
ReplyDeleteI found the film to be funny.
-Koren