Re: the slewing - I've been trying to decide if this frame shows the front axle bending to ensure it goes in that direction. Ten minutes and both he and the car could be ready for another take. That is probably a clue as to why the camera right wheel went first, to slew the car in a specific direction. Note his exit route is a) planned and b) padded - the original car door. He's already stepping out of the car by frame 11. You can also see the clear benefit in these final frames of the seat falling back to 45°, preventing him from sliding forwards.Īnd that's it. You can see him avoid it over the next few frames, even as the car takes a final lurch. Note he seems well aware that the steering column didn't fall away - construction error or design, we may never know. Now we get to see the steering column that didn't fall away. Throwing his legs upwards as the seat drops is a) comedic and b) safer. Now we can see the seat tilting, preventing Keaton from sliding forwards into the loose debris and containing him within the relative safety of the hinged box. One thing to keep track of over the next few frames is that the steering column stays in position relative to the car's chassis, which could be quite a hazard.įurther evidence now shows the entire axle turns, see detail at the end of the post. Keaton lifts the steering wheel away and the front panel falls forwards - assisting the demolition of the engine bay and grille. The seat is also being hinged backwards and downwards, but we can't see that yet. There is a disconnect at the rear, camera left, and I'm now certain the front wheel, camera right, has a sprung steering mechanism to push it the right way.īy frame 4, the catch has been released and the bodywork is hinging outwards. Incidentally, the bonnet/hood has dropped back into its correct position momentarily.Īfter further analysis, the release has been triggered by frame 3. The wheel at camera right isn't quite straight either.īy frame 3, that wheel is already falling off, before it even hits the bump. Also note Keaton's hand on the bodywork - that may already be loose. In the first 2 frames, all is well so far - except the bonnet/hood isn't quite seated properly. If you watch it frame by frame, it's easier to see. As I can see no evidence of a rope to pull it let's assume someone pushed it from a few yards further back then ran out of frame. You only see it move about 6 feet, so it doesn't have to last long. The rest is just balanced on top and will fall at the slightest provocation. Maybe the line from grim-faced Hart parody to Brooks’ earthy Blazing Saddles, 50 years down the road, is shorter than one might have expected.The 'cab' is hinged round the bottom of the box structure, probably released by Keaton at the appropriate moment, and very likely sprung to assist the demolition. Mel Brooks has acknowledged that Buster Keaton was a major inspiration for his movie comedies. But further on in the movie, Buster shoots, drinks, and womanizes – and just as in the early Arbuckle/Keaton comedy Out West (1918), Keaton is such a convincing actor (even when he’s seducing a woman several inches taller than him) that the “it’s all just a joke” pretense doesn’t entirely wash. His first few gags – emerging in the Frozen North from an underground subway station, using a villainous-looking cardboard cutout to thwart some illicit gamblers – are benign enough to make you think this will be a good-natured satire. Keaton is surprisingly content to play unsympathetic here. (Apparently it worked, as Hart didn’t speak to Keaton for years after the movie’s release.)Īnd over eight decades later, Keaton’s parody still has some sting to it. Thus, Keaton’s parody of Hart killed two birds with one stone. Hart always portrayed insufferably pure Western heroes in real life, Hart was one of many celebrities who hypocritically attacked Keaton’s dear friend Roscoe Arbuckle during Arbuckle’s famous sex-scandal trial. The Frozen North was Buster Keaton’s revenge on a contemporary of his: Western star William S.
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