Movies Under the Stars

The Cameraman (1928)
Film Screening
(B&W – 69 mins)

An NCPA & Film Heritage Foundation Presentation

The Cameraman is a 1928 American silent comedy widely considered to be Buster Keaton’s last great masterpiece. Coming into prominence at the same time as Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, Keaton was a giant of American comedy. His daring comic stunts, which he performed himself, without camera trickery, quickly became the stuff of legend in film history.

In The Cameraman, Keaton plays a bumbling photographer turned newsreel cameraman doing his best to beat his rival and impress his lady love as well as his new boss despite his obvious inexperience. His first attempt at using the movie camera yields almost experimental results with the footage moving backwards and forwards with eerily superimposed images. Intricate set pieces and manic gags, shot on the streets of New York City and in the studio, make for a masterclass in comedy with unforgettable scenes in a cramped changing room, a gangland shootout in Chinatown and even the introduction of a monkey sidekick. Slant Magazine’s review described the film as “one of Keaton’s most self-reflective films and an ode to the unexpected and elusive lightning-in-a-bottle nature of filmmaking.”

Directed by Edward Sedgwick
Produced by Buster Keaton
Story by Clyde Bruckman & Lew Lipton
Cast: Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracy & Harry Gribbon.

Admission on a first-come-first served basic. NCPA Members will get preferential seating till 6:20pm.

WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY: –

• Checking of body temperature with non-invasive apparatus at entry point  
• ‘Fully vaccinated’ certificate to be shown at entry point
• Wearing of mask is mandatory
• Proper social distancing to be maintained at all times