Inception

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Prior to seeing Sherlock Jr, I had never before watched a silent, black and white film. However, after viewing the film in class and analyzing it, I developed a whole new respect for silent movies. I did find myself initially having a hard time forming a strong connection to what was going on but as the movie progressed I became more invested in both the plot and with the characters. Sherlock Jr, although being a short film, was extremely innovative, especially for its time. And Buster Keaton did an excellent job setting up the story so that it effortlessly flowed together. As professor Platt mentioned in class, every decision down to the time on the clock in a scene is thought through; and I found the more attention I paid to that statement, the more I picked up on just how much each of those little decisions shaped the film.

I found the way Buster Keaton used more than one narrative to be especially compelling. His transition between a fictional narrative and that of reality gave us, as viewers, a different perspective of the workings and connections of each character. Keaton’s choice to employ that type of transition between narratives also provided a comical look into the main character self-identification. Throughout the film the main character is portrayed as being a modest boyish type figure; that has trouble landing the girl and lives a minimal, humble life. However, in Keaton’s fictional narrative, which is portrayed through a dream had by the main character, he is sleek and confident and appears to have no financial worries, as he’s featured wearing an expensive looking suit. He also has no problem simultaneously saving the girl, winning her heart and solving crime. This fictional storyline follows the same characters and has many of the same issues as the real storyline, with the main differences being in the resolution of the events and the image of the main character. As difficult as it would seem to be, to transition from reality to fiction without confusing the audience or disrupting the plot, Keaton does it flawlessly. His choice to use the main characters dream as a means to portray the fictional narrative not only allows for him to get away with amplifying some of the events that occur, but also aids in the smooth transition of narratives.

Keaton’s use of two storylines, to me, has a way of showcasing the way in which cinema works. People, especially during the beginning stages of cinema, wanted to watch films about the idealized life. Reality is often not what’s featured in films, we more times than not attend movies to watch the glamourized versions of reality. Where people are portrayed the way they wish to be and events are resolved in the most idealistic of means. Keeton did an excellent job of taking the mundane realities of life and showcasing just how film rids itself of those mundane realities and instead showcases the idealized version of those realities. Keaton’s innovative filmmaking and creativity are just some of the small aspects that make this film so compelling but some of the main reasons I was able to sit through an hour of silent film without falling asleep.

16 thoughts on “Inception”

  1. I agree, at first I was not to excited about an hour of silent film; especially being one of my first silent films, I wasn’t sure about what to expect. As the film went on, i got more and more invested as well realizing that this film is not as outdated as I had imagined. It seems to me extremely innovative for its time primarily because many techniques used in “Sherlock Jr.” are the same techniques we see in movies today.

    One technique you brought up, is the usage of two separate worlds using two narratives that come together at the close of the story. In one narrative we have reality and in the other we have the world as Keaton envisions it. These two narratives allows director Buster Keaton to provide the audience with some laughs from the real: boyish, unconfident, and goofy Sherlock Jr. to the fantasy: manly, and confident Sherlock Jr. A great scene is when these two come together and Buster is watching the “dream world,” while interacting in the real world.

    The use of two narratives is a great cinema technique that we see all the time now a days. I think Sherlock Jr. provides the audience with some insight with where this technique came from and how it has developed. For example, Game of Thrones is a popular television show with multiple narratives. Game of Thrones is much more complex with its narratives, but the base for multiple narratives had to start somewhere.

    Finally, I also agree that Keaton did a fantastic job in glamorizing this film. He took simple events and added excitement to them. This reminded me of the film and book Great Gatsby in which everything is glamorized. I believe this film has many great styles and techniques that are the building blocks for many of the films and television shows we watch today.

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  2. I agree with what you said about how Keaton created the two narratives so well, and how the dream world character, although smooth and cunning, adds to the characterization of the main character. Keaton’s ideal alter ego from the dream narrative also ads to the comedic elements by juxtaposing the real world character and the dream state character. Seeing how Keaton imagines his character flawlessly and nonchalantly stopping the bad guys is comedic because the audience knows the real world character would never be able to accomplish that feat as smoothly. The way Keaton creates and develops the two narratives is a clear, concise, and flawless while still keeping the audience entertained and laughing.

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