Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century

Really enjoyed this.Contextualising him and his films in their time is very effective and provides great insight into Keaton from a welcome contemporary and level headed viewpoint.If you want just full on Buster facts something like Tempest in a Flat Hat or other previous more straight biographies might be more your cup of tea but this is a terrific read and I'd love a similar approach to other filmmakers of the era.

I bought several biographies of Buster Keaton, this is a good one .-Nate

Having recently discovered the magic of Buster Keaton's films, I dove into this book with eagerness. Author Dana Stevens has done a tremendous amount of research not only on Keaton, but on the environment in which he grew up and worked, and struggled in. This book is a wonderful complement and companion to his amazing movies. Highly recommended.

You will not learn anything new if you’ve read previous bio’s like the wonderful book by Marion Meade, “Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase” or “Buster Keaton: Interviews,” edited by Kevin W. Sweeney.And this bio does not stand as more definitive and comprehensive than anything prior to the recently published “Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life” by James Curtis. This definitive bio comes blurbed from the highest possible source: Kevin Brownlow, author of the best single volume on the Silent Film era, “The Parade’s Gone By…” from 1976.Yet I strongly urge you to buy and read Dana Steven’s take on Keaton’s life and work. She has fresh critical insights and her prose is a dream to read. And hey, you can never have enough Keaton, in my view.However, Ms. Stevens has been poorly served by her publisher. They should *immediately* hire back all the copy editors and proof readers they downsized.No writer as good as Ms. Stevens should have a howler like the one on Page 266 where she credits Lon Chaney as creating the Wolfman on screen a dozen years after his death.It was, of course, his son Creighton who played that part, billed as Lon Chaney, Jr.Not her fault! Blame the editors who lack basic knowledge of their subject. They should've caught this one!

Such a joy to read, so much so that one wants to read it slowly to soak in everything. I'm a silent film scholar and historian and even I didn't know all the details Dana Stevens brings out in this biography. A must for Buster Keaton fans. She's done a lot of wonderful research here.

I've known Dana Stevens' from her film criticism and the Slate Culture Gabfest. It's been a pleasure to see her eye turned towards a longer form project such as this one with her characteristic intelligence and generosity of spirit! Wonderful read.