Courageous Comedians
In the era of silent movies, physical comedy was king. Daredevil performers like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd pulled off hair-raising stunts that also tickled the funnybone of their adoring audiences. Sound film allowed wit and banter to find their place on the silver screen, but slapstick needed no language and enabled stars like Jackie Chan to find international acclaim. Inspired by silent film comedians and Chinese opera, Chan spearheaded a new brand of action comedy combining stunts and laughs with excellent fight choreography. The courage of Keaton and Chan was in their daredevil stunts, but Elia Suleiman demonstrated artistic courage in his trilogy of black comedies exposing the absurdities of life in Palestine, while pulling from the tradition of deadpan and visual humour used decades earlier by Keaton. The Calgary Cinematheque is excited to present a series that showcases the way influences iterate across time and distance.
Series Films
Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
Directed by Buster Keaton & Charles Reisner
April 14, 2022
The last of Buster Keaton's independently produced feature films, Steamboat Bill Jr features some of the comedian's greatest stunts and visual gags. The expensive spectacle was a box office flop upon release, but reigns today as one of Keaton's masterworks. Demonstrating Keaton's auteur control of timing, framing, body language, facial expression, and of course stunt work, this one has been often homaged but never exceeded. Presented with a pre-recorded organ score by Lee Erwin.
Police Story (1985)
Directed by Jacky Chan
May 5, 2022
During a time in the history of Hong Kong action cinema when every production company wanted their own Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan strove to follow his own path. Both martial arts action scenes and slapstick comedy require expert timing, and Chan's training in Chinese opera allowed him to time sequences that would mix the thrills of high quality stunt work with excellent comedic performances. Featuring memorable supporting performances from Brigitte Lin and Maggie Cheung, Police Story is perhaps the ultimate Jackie Chan film, a non-stop showcase for his skills as an auteur.
Divine Intervention (2002)
Directed by Elia Suleiman
MaY 19, 2022
A surreal series of interconnected sketches lampooning the absurdity of life in Palestine, Divine Intervention was the second in a thematically related series of films by Elia Suleiman. Drawing comparison to the works of Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, the film won international acclaim and controversy. A demonstration of how comedy can sometimes explore complex issues better than drama, Suleiman's deadpan comedy shows a completely different line of descent from Keaton than the high octane stunt comedy of Jackie Chan.
