KEATON: A DOUBLE HELPING

We’re delighted to welcome Buster Keaton’s granddaughter Melissa Talmadge Cox, via video link from California, in conversation with Keaton scholar Polly Rose to introduce the Great Stoneface’s final silent, the Berlin Festival award-winning THE RAILRODDER (Dir: Gerald Potterton, Canada, 1965, 24 mins).

Shot in colour, the film features Buster’s breathtaking gag-packed solo rail trip across Canada in an open-top “speeder”. Also on the bill is John Spotton’s Venice Festival award-winning documentary on the film’s production, BUSTER KEATON RIDES AGAIN (Canada, 1965, 55mins), with behind-the-scenes moments including the crew’s efforts to dissuade the 69-year-old Keaton from doing a highly risky stunt (ignored!).