Performance

• Keaton's nickname "The Great Stone Face" was due to his deadpan expression - he learned this technique when performing vaudeville, having discovered that when he did not emote at the end of a gag, the audience found it funnier.
• His deadpan expression differs from other silent comedians of the day (e.g. Charlie Chaplin) who would often use a range of exaggerated facial expressions to heighten the gags.
• Keaton uses his large eyes to emote - his face and eyes imply innocence as he seems unperturbed by the hostile world around him.
• This style is typical of the new trend in silent cinema from 1912, where actors would mimic everyday human responses in a slightly more realistic fashion - contrasts with previous "histrionic" style, where actors used broad and exaggerate movements that bore no relation to how people reacted in real life.
• Keaton was an agile actor who incorporates his acrobatics into the films, his body become an element of mise-en-scene - e.g. when Keaton is being chased by the dog through the ruined building in The Scarecrow, he leaps through windows and across the ledges with ease.