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SILENT CINEMA - realism and expressionism - Coggle Diagram
SILENT CINEMA -
realism and expressionism
COPS
REALISM
comedy derived from misunderstandings *e.g. Keaton gives $5 for a horse but it's actually a jacket being advertised, so Keaton has stolen
narrative centred around the realistic concept of a chase
EXPRESSIVE
exaggerated performance and gestural movements
the horse and carriage can hold an absurd amount, with a seemingly endless pile growing atop it
smashes a vase to fit it into a suitcase - unclear character motivations
makeshift indicator constructed from a boxing glove
creates a phone system to 'communicate' with the horse and give it directions - made even more absurd when the horse is compliant
comical number of police
absurd decision to light a cigarette with a bomb
merging of the childlike (seesaw) and adult (crime, bombs, violence...) made infantile and absurd
slapstick schadenfreude - humour derived from the injuries of the cops
unrealistic ability to hide in suitcase
dramatic decision to commit suicide following rejection from a woman - the cartoonish gravestone undermining the exaggerated action preceding it
SOCIAL CONTEXT
women financially dependent on men - love interest demands that Keaton becomes a "big businessman" to support her
financial effects of the war - struggled to recover from reparations
a critical commentary on the police and the legal institution following the trial of Fatty Arbuckle - large presence yet aimless and the sea of them is almost reductionist
THE SCARECROW
REALISM
familiar domestic setting
adheres to natural mechanisms - realistic gags
clear character motivations - competing for a woman's affection
realistic chase sequence with dog - relatable to audiences (plausible scenarios)
themes of domesticity and marriage - married whilst on the run with a substitute ring which is a familiar storyline
conventional cinematography with static framing in found locations
EXPRESSIONISM
condensed space - multi-functional room
vinyl player doubles as a stove; bookshelf doubles as a fridge; bed becomes a piano
exaggerated performance - pantomime
slapstick comedy -
schadenfreude
non-diegetic upbeat piano
convoluted, absurd completion of domestic duties e.g. hosing down plates
chase scene with dog made absurd through its exaggerated duration and the prop of the ladder - quick-paced editing and cranking
dog is humanised / anthropomorphised - shaking hands
unrealistically quick recovery from injury
walking on hands to cross a river
cartoonish, two-dimensional composition
SOCIAL CONTEXT
"I don't care how she votes" - women granted the vote in 1920
Modernism - amusement in developing technology
Men depicted in a domestic role - changing gender roles following WW1
subverted gender stereotypes - woman shown impressing the man and he swoons
the ring is a bolt - humorous reference to technology's increasing relevance in domestic life
multi-dimensional female character - attempts to poison father with pie to marry love interest, yet still functions as a love interest in the short