Press Release from the Damfinos
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:24 pm
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Buhrman, president of the International Buster Keaton Society Inc.
512-507-7282/president@busterkeaton.com
A treasure trove of previously unknown behind-the-scenes material documenting the making of Buster Keaton’s The General, long considered one of the greatest films ever made, has recently been discovered by a member of the International Buster Keaton Society Inc.
In the summer of 1926, Cottage Grove, Oregon, a local photographer was given unprecedented access to the filming of the classic, and his vast collection of photographs and nitrate negatives remained stored in a box until found recently by one of his descendants. The collection was obtained by the member of the Buster Keaton Society, and rights to publish the materials were donated to the group. In addition, the only known script for the film, the personal copy of one of the film’s writers, Clyde Bruckman, complete with his and Keaton’s handwritten notes, recently surfaced at auction and rights for it were obtained by the Keaton Society, which plans to publish a book in the near future, featuring both the photographs and the script, along with other rare, previously unpublished material about the making of the film.
The combination of the photographs and the script provide an exceptional glimpse into the making of Keaton’s 1926 masterpiece The General, and as such, they are an unprecedented find.
“Congratulations! It is amazing that such treasures are still being found, nearly ninety years after that brilliant picture was made,” said world-renowned silent film historian and film preservationist Kevin Brownlow.
“It is thrilling to make new discoveries about a cherished film almost 90 years after its release,” said noted film historian and author Leonard Maltin. “Film buffs around the world should be rejoicing.”
The material will be available for viewing in person one time only at this year’s Buster Keaton Convention, Oct. 2-4, 2014, in Muskegon, Michigan. For further information about the convention, visit http://www.busterkeaton.com and click on “Convention.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Buhrman, president of the International Buster Keaton Society Inc.
512-507-7282/president@busterkeaton.com
A treasure trove of previously unknown behind-the-scenes material documenting the making of Buster Keaton’s The General, long considered one of the greatest films ever made, has recently been discovered by a member of the International Buster Keaton Society Inc.
In the summer of 1926, Cottage Grove, Oregon, a local photographer was given unprecedented access to the filming of the classic, and his vast collection of photographs and nitrate negatives remained stored in a box until found recently by one of his descendants. The collection was obtained by the member of the Buster Keaton Society, and rights to publish the materials were donated to the group. In addition, the only known script for the film, the personal copy of one of the film’s writers, Clyde Bruckman, complete with his and Keaton’s handwritten notes, recently surfaced at auction and rights for it were obtained by the Keaton Society, which plans to publish a book in the near future, featuring both the photographs and the script, along with other rare, previously unpublished material about the making of the film.
The combination of the photographs and the script provide an exceptional glimpse into the making of Keaton’s 1926 masterpiece The General, and as such, they are an unprecedented find.
“Congratulations! It is amazing that such treasures are still being found, nearly ninety years after that brilliant picture was made,” said world-renowned silent film historian and film preservationist Kevin Brownlow.
“It is thrilling to make new discoveries about a cherished film almost 90 years after its release,” said noted film historian and author Leonard Maltin. “Film buffs around the world should be rejoicing.”
The material will be available for viewing in person one time only at this year’s Buster Keaton Convention, Oct. 2-4, 2014, in Muskegon, Michigan. For further information about the convention, visit http://www.busterkeaton.com and click on “Convention.”