Ben Model’s blog
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There was a lot of borrowing and sharing of material in the days of silent comedy shorts, a tradition that grew out of vaudeville and circus. In the milieu of live comedy performance, there were certain routines that were a particular comedian’s property, to be sure, but there were many…
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Buster Keaton’s Leap to ‘One Week’, and Marcel Perez’s Jump from “Split-reelers” to 2-reelers
Stretching to Two Reel Length was no Stretch For Marcel Perez What has always struck me as remarkable about Buster Keaton (well, one of several things) is his maturity as a filmmaker at the ripe old age of 25. His first solo release, One Week (1920), looks nothing like any of…
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Marcel Perez…or “Marvel” Perez?
Buster Keaton’s Idea of “Impossible Gags” Take on ‘Popeye’ Proportions In the Tweedledum/Twede Comedy Shorts Stylistically, there are two things about the American films of Marcel Perez that make them stand apart from the work of all the other slapstick comedians of the silent era. One of them I can’t…
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Marion Davies Marches On…!
Happy Birthday to Victor Herbert, Composer of “Babes In Toyland”, “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” and the elusive “Marion Davies March” Victor Herbert’s March of the Toys wafted over my WFMT app this morning, in honor of the composer’s birthday, and I immediately thought of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy –…
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The Humor of “Jackass” and AFV In the Early 1900s, as Performed by Marcel Perez and Others
The injury humor of Johnny Knoxville, the Farrelly Brothers, and thousands of anonymous klutzes is nothing new — French and Italian comedians were doing it during movies’ first decade. Last September, a lot of people sent me a link to an article in the New York Times that articulated something…
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Are DVD Players the Next Turntables?
As each year winds down, I’ve found myself squinting into a magic eight-ball of media and distribution, wondering, “Will next year be the end of DVDs?”. The response has been either “Don’t count on it” or “Reply hazy try again”. This year, with 2017’s push toward streaming, I thought for…
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Buster Keaton inspires Don Lockwood
As you know, using recognizable music is a big no-no for me (unless it’s specified onscreen). And so, I was puzzled by hearing a certain song from a 1950s MGM musical in my head while playing for Keaton’s The Cameraman the last few shows I did. There is a moment after…
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For real? A public domain silent in a high quality upload with good music?
THE ITALIAN (1915) was just posted to YouTube the Library of Congress in a new 2K scan of the Library’s best 35mm preservation material and with a brand new (I recorded it last month) piano score by yours truly. The film stars George Beban, and was directed by Reginald Barker…
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Conducting the Klopstokian Philharmonic
I found myself playing piano for films and I’d hear other instruments in my head during the show. This was the very late 1990s. Had to be, because I started learning the organ a year or so before Lee Erwin passed in 2000, and remember going to his place to…
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Working with People Who Haven’t Been Dead for 60 Years
“Have you ever scored any new films, like regular movies, not silent ones?” It’s a question I get asked by reporters and people I meet socially. The answer usually surprises people. It’s “Nope.” I do get asked from time to time to score a new silent film, and that’s something…