When I saw the date of this documentary, I realized I was about 11 years old when I first watched it on PBS. I remember also watching the Charlie Chaplin one as well, but it was Keaton who made an impression on me. I taped the show on VHS and it remained one of my most prized recordings. Eventually AMC aired it on cable and I made a new copy. To my knowledge, it has never been released in the US on DVD.
If you want to learn about Keaton, THIS is the documentary to watch. Forget about any modern rehash with celebrities who think they sound knowledgeable because they read a book on the man. This show has interviews with the people who really worked with and knew him, who were part of the film industry at the time. Mrs. Eleanor Keaton herself also appears. The music soundtrack is still in my brain after 3 decades, and the narrator's voice is synonymous with the many great film-history documentaries of the 1980s.
The best you can watch.
If you want to learn about Keaton, THIS is the documentary to watch. Forget about any modern rehash with celebrities who think they sound knowledgeable because they read a book on the man. This show has interviews with the people who really worked with and knew him, who were part of the film industry at the time. Mrs. Eleanor Keaton herself also appears. The music soundtrack is still in my brain after 3 decades, and the narrator's voice is synonymous with the many great film-history documentaries of the 1980s.
The best you can watch.