The Scarecrow (1920)

• Size contrast is used for comedic effect - Keatons small structure against taller, larger man
• Keaton and Friend have dinner together = traditional family values
• The daughters life is controlled by her father, showing the patriarchal society.
• Expressionsim

  Arguably more cuts during the film than other Keaton films - cannot perform the stunt in full
• Satirical form of marriage - shocking audience as the portrayal could be seen as a disrespect to traditional values

  Adheres to a working class audience.
• Two male characters working to get the approval of the womens father for marriage = patriarchal male dominated society.
• Again, the narrative enables much of the comedy to come from Keaton's stunts; a technique that is recognised as a hallmark of Keaton's comic style.
• Themes of Keaton

  Heterosexual romance

  A preoccupation with modern, labour saving gadgets
• Stylistic conventions of Keaton

  Stunts

  Chase sequences

  Flat lighting

  Static camera shots
• The opening scene has so many ingenious bits flying by so fast it takes several rewatches to comprehend all of them.
• Helps Buster show off his inventions for the screen and reliable athletic comedy
• Realism

  Deep focus

  Natural lighting

  LS and long takes = 'what you see is what the filmmaker made'

  Classic continuity editing
• Realism

  Parallel editing between dog - Bazin idea that of events occuring at the same time
• Realism

  Long deep focs shots showing harvest machinery and workers = realistic of documenting life in America after WWI.
• Realism

  Baking, sowing, dancing are typical activities women would do in 1920s.
• Expressive

  Multi-purpose house - expressive showing Keatons adaption to small living space
• Expressionistic

  Iris effect on the picture of Sybil Seely
• Keaton tricks the audience when him and the girl run away from her father and Keaton jumps on the horse and it turns out to be fake. The angle of the shot makes it seem as though the horse is real manipulating the audience like in soviet montage.
• The fast motion shot of the sun rises distorts time and space as it is obviously not as normal pace which Bazin would not like.