“The Great Buster” Brings the Physical Comedy of Buster Keaton to the Detroit Film Theatre

DFT director Elliot Wilhelm says the legacy of Keaton is alive and well in modern comedic performers today.

Detroit Film Theatre

Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation. CultureShift airs weekdays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit public radio.

The Detroit Film Theatre is celebrating 45 years of bringing cinema to Detroit.

DFT director Elliott Wilhelm has been around since day one.

Screening this weekend is The Great Buster, a documentary about the king of physical comedy, Buster Keaton.

WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper speaks with Wilhelm about the film and enduring comedy legend.

“Keaton…was an extremely popular performer…in the 20s,” says Wilhelm. “Keaton’s films are not only films that age well…but still, to this day, look ahead of their time when you look at the kind of technique that he was able to bring to the cinema.” 

Click on the audio player above to hear DFT curator Elliot Wilhelm talk about this weekend’s film screening. 

 

Author

  • Ryan Patrick Hooper
    Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.