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The Cameraman
The Cameraman
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The Cameraman

The Cameraman

1928
Romance, Comedy
1h 16m
After becoming infatuated with a pretty office worker for MGM Newsreels, Buster trades in his tintype operation for a movie camera and sets out to impress the girl (and MGM) with his work.

Directed by:

Buster Keaton, Edward Sedgwick

Screenwriter:

Clyde Bruckman, Joseph Farnham

Starring:

Buster Keaton, Harold Goodwin, Marceline Day, Sidney Bracey, Harry Gribbon

Genres:

Romance, Comedy, Drama, Family/Kids

Country:

USA

Languages:

English, None
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The Cameraman

1928
Romance, Comedy
1h 16m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 73.75% from 736 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 14 Feb 2010
10
97th
Where Chaplin breezed through his films as the charming tramp, Keaton seemed to be constantly entangled in an ongoing stuggle, but that's what makes him so likeable and easy to relate to. If this film doesn't win you over after 10 minutes, then don't bother watching the rest. 'The Cameraman' is a near perfect film: well shot, moving and endlessly amusing. I used to think of Keaton as a great stuntman, but I now consider him to be one the finest filmmakers to have ever graced the screen.
Rated 14 Feb 2010
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 19 Jan 2009
5
93rd
Here in a simple romantic comedy lies some great metatext about Keaton's passion. On the extreme lengths to capture the wild and ingenious images that would become his legacy. The Tong War is one of the most exhilarating sequences he ever shot.
Rated 19 Jan 2009
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 06 Feb 2010
10
98th
This movie was great. Excellent camera work and I just love Buster. The monkey was so great too. Loved almost everything about the movie but the ending is what really made it exceptional for me. It was also cool to see Yankee Stadium from so long ago, very neat.
Rated 06 Feb 2010
farzanFarzan
Rated 01 Feb 2010
95
96th
My first few Buster Keaton experiences weren't extremely memorable. But seeing Sherlock Jr immediately changed my view on him, and then watching The Cameraman made me adore him. People tend to compare Chaplin and Keaton, and although I now adore both, they are for completely different reasons. Where Chaplin is more memorable for his skits, Keaton is memorable for his stunts which are daring, and impressive. The Cameraman is a great example, the parade sequences was just sheer genius.
Rated 01 Feb 2010
purgatospurgatos
Rated 15 May 2009
92
93rd
It's just so incredibly charming! How could you but love this?
Rated 15 May 2009
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 24 Jan 2009
84
86th
every keaton movie i see makes me love him even more, his gags are great, and this movie was made with some damn great camerawork. there are so many scenes that will stick in my mind for a long time.
Rated 24 Jan 2009
q31Q31
Rated 21 Jan 2009
94
75th
Sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching and romantic, always sweetly entertaining. Buster Keaton's stunts and expressions are fantastic. Arthur Barrow's score is perfect.
Rated 21 Jan 2009
macswellMacSwell
Rated 17 Apr 2023
65
51st
Coming from a lesser silent comedian, The Cameraman would likely be a magnum opus, but this here is Buster Keaton, and the film falls noticeably short of his perennial immaculate standards. There are occasional laughs in his first and final MGM film with total creative control before his career was to regrettably fall apart, but too few to deem it an essential piece in his oeuvre.
Rated 17 Apr 2023
xacviantxacviant
Rated 30 Sep 2017
84
66th
A hapless tintype photographer (Buster Keaton) tries to woo an MGM secretary (Marceline Day) by becoming a newsreel cameraman, with predictably comedic results. While not quite on a par with his finest work - it bogs down a bit during some irrelevant sequences - it rallies for a mostly superb final act, complete with a monkey ex machina.
Rated 30 Sep 2017
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 07 May 2016
84
86th
The most stress-inducing genre is not suspense thriller or psychological drama or even horror - it's silent comedies.
Rated 07 May 2016
nobletNoblet
Rated 28 Jan 2012
80
70th
I didn't think it was as funny or exciting as some of Keaton's other work, but this is still a wonderfully balanced film. The monkey was pretty lame, though.
Rated 28 Jan 2012
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 18 Jan 2011
5
91st
One of Keaton's finest. So melancholy and romantic without sacrificing a bit of its humor (which is at worst amusing and often laugh-out-loud funny). Plenty of great photography, impressive stunts (Keaton hopping onto the wheel well of a moving bus is particularly fantastic), and hilarious gags. Keaton's senses of timing and composition are immaculate. Also, it has a monkey.
Rated 18 Jan 2011
omgfridgeomgfridge
Rated 10 Mar 2010
9
91st
Buster Keaton has got to be one of the finest filmmakers I have seen. That of course also applies to his acting abilities. "The Cameraman" is impressive from start to finish. Great romantic story with humor that still brings a smile to your face over eighty years later. The parade, the monkey and the very well done ending all make this one exceptional movie.
Rated 10 Mar 2010
optimusmikeOptimus_mike
Rated 16 Jan 2009
90
90th
If you have any reservations about silent movies containing humor that would apply to today's standards then look no further then The Camerman. While some of the jokes really just don't work (especially the "verbal" dialogue with the officer about the warehouse) the ones that do work are extremely humorous. Keaton is the master of physical comedy and its all the better when you learn he truly did all of his own stunts, and some of them in The Cameraman are fucking insane.
Rated 16 Jan 2009
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 27 May 2008
87
87th
The first half has some sparkling moments but also its share of duds. The second half, though, from the swimming pool to the Tong war is great and the ending is fantastic. The romance that runs through the film is also perfectly done and really complements the comedy well.
Rated 27 May 2008
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
94
97th
A phenomenally entertaining Buster Keaton film. This one satisfies on all levels: great comedy, great action, great romance and even some suspense. A sublime effort.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
silent_discosilent disco
Rated 24 Feb 2024
75
60th
Cute but visibly neutered by MGM, lacking the daredevil momentum and physicality of his better work, the walloping third act I'm accustomed to never truly shakes out. Even so, endearing, wonderfully performed, and it does have a monkey. Does your movie have a monkey? No? Add a monkey.
Rated 24 Feb 2024
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 17 Sep 2022
63
26th
I was a bit underwhelmed by this, though I usually like Keaton quite a bit. I didn't find it nearly as funny or ambitious as many of his projects. It's not bad or anything, but I didn't like it nearly as much as The General or Steamboat Bill Jr., for instance. It didn't have the "wow" moment of some of those. Maybe I was just expecting so much. There IS a monkey, though, and seeing old old Yankee Stadium was fun.
Rated 17 Sep 2022
psimpsim
Rated 09 Aug 2022
75
49th
Delightful and inventive, for the most part this movie still holds up, although your mileage may vary for some of the slapstick scenes.
Rated 09 Aug 2022
anomalyAnomaly
Rated 20 May 2021
86
88th
A slow start, but soon gets into gear quite nicely. Watching Keaton try to change clothes with another dude in a small changing room is one of the funniest gags he's ever done, and the romantic maneuvering and twist at the climax is golden.
Rated 20 May 2021
myfavchordsmyfavchords
Rated 09 May 2021
78
72nd
Buster Keaton is great in the lead role of this film. The script has several fun set ups and some surprises. Overall I would recommend this film.
Rated 09 May 2021
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 24 Jan 2021
80
79th
Hapless Buster learns to use a movie camera while also learning a little about love. While there are a few more pratfalls and a few less stunts than in his earlier works, the humorous plot is generally solid, even with the addition of a machine-gunner monkey.
Rated 24 Jan 2021
madmanMadMan
Rated 18 Jan 2021
95
86th
Marvelous and wonderful movie. I viewed this last year and forgot to rate it for some reason. So glad I bought it on Criterion.
Rated 18 Jan 2021
doyler29doyler29
Rated 12 Oct 2020
80
68th
A pretty sweet romantic comedy with some fairly incredible stunt work from Keaton. Not among his best work, but very solid.
Rated 12 Oct 2020
lonewolf2003Lonewolf2003
Rated 27 Sep 2020
78
71st
Keaton tries to impress his new flame by becoming a cameraman. This has the best romance story of all Keatons features (well best human one, it still can't beat Keaton and Brown Eyes) with the girl being interested in him cause of his sweet nature and not for his efforts to impress her. The big Tong war, while being low on funny stunts and gags, is impressively staged nonetheless. The different plot strings come together very well in the end.
Rated 27 Sep 2020
hadleyreisHadleyreis
Rated 04 Aug 2020
86
89th
You can't help but admire Keaton's enthusiasm. Everything he does is innovative, hilarious and full of energy.
Rated 04 Aug 2020
heliophageHeliophage
Rated 10 Feb 2020
94
99th
Circumstances conspired to give Keaton's first feature directly under MGM a bit more freedom than he'd generally have again. The result is closer in scale and conception to his much earlier material, and all the more endearing for it, in a picture packed with some of his best small-scale comic business in a long time, but not without a few of those hectic crowd moments his shorts used to be so big on. Marcelline Day also makes for a particularly supportive and sincere love interest.
Rated 10 Feb 2020
antidood1antidood1
Rated 07 Oct 2019
70
58th
It's fun, it's funny, it's high-paced and impressively made in multiple regards. The effects are exceptional for the time, the stunts are unsurprisingly amazing, and the editing is smart and effective. I didn't find The Cameraman to be particularly memorable or charming, but maybe that's the studio putting its fingerprints on the whole thing. Oh, and the baboon is acting his ass off!
Rated 07 Oct 2019
le_mamile mami
Rated 17 Jun 2019
65
59th
rewatch
Rated 17 Jun 2019
napolenbradynapolenbrady
Rated 21 Feb 2019
92
88th
91.50.
Rated 21 Feb 2019
jpotiijpotII
Rated 17 Feb 2019
10
6th
Touro
Rated 17 Feb 2019
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 29 Dec 2017
87
82nd
Nunca pensei que um dia assitiria um filme com o Buster Keaton como ator e ele não seria o melhor em cena, estou falando daquele macaco, aquele macaco é genial. Só porque chegou hoje o meu box com a obra completa muda do Buster Keaton do Obras Primas do Cinema em DVD.
Rated 29 Dec 2017
smuhusmuhu
Rated 01 Feb 2017
55
21st
Clearly missing the talent of writer/director Buster Keaton since he was downgraded to just a starring role here.
Rated 01 Feb 2017
petrostserPetrosTser
Rated 21 Jun 2015
80
88th
Buster Keaton delivering the goods once more, in this bittersweet tale of a poor little fella trying to make it as a cameraman and to win the girl of his dreams. Its storyline is simple yet engaging, filled with perfectly executed gags and sweet moments, at times funny, at times sad. The ending, where Buster leaves the camera from his hands for the first time, elegantly reveals the moving truth of the film.
Rated 21 Jun 2015
kasperlKasperL
Rated 26 Aug 2014
70
65th
I found the comedic bits rather dated, I'm afraid, but a cute love story is on the other hand timeless, and what the film lacks in spectactular stunts is therefor more than made up for by the really sweet romance between Marceline Day's gentle Sally and the befuddled Buster.
Rated 26 Aug 2014
clark_novaClark Nova
Rated 10 Feb 2014
100
97th
That's right KEATON IS RIPPED!
Rated 10 Feb 2014
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 14 Jan 2014
83
87th
Holds up just as well as any of Keaton's more famous works. Extremely clever photography and nonstop sight gags.
Rated 14 Jan 2014
colten97Colten97
Rated 16 Sep 2013
95
66th
Apart from being very funny, and sometimes, wickedly inventive, Keaton's films always have a strong heart to them, and I'm not talking about the sentiment Charlie Chaplin trafficked in; there's real courage in not only what Buster puts on-screen as a filmmaker, but in what his characters project--that no matter what life puts in your way, a little courage, and a lot of perseverance, will get you a long way in life, even when it looks like things just aren't meant to go your way.
Rated 16 Sep 2013
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 04 Sep 2013
85
59th
This is obviously very good, but I didn't get nearly as much enjoyment out of it as Buster's classics, so it comes off as a disappointment. Some inspired sequences like the scene in Yankee Stadium sit next to some really well-done pathos, as Buster perseveres in the hopes of success. Also, there's a monkey.
Rated 04 Sep 2013
neonmanNeonman
Rated 19 Aug 2013
65
24th
Mildly amusing for the most part, but not always clear-headed -- I was wondering if the romantic sub-plot was deviating away from the cameraman aspect too much, but I guess the story re-focused itself. The usual BK visual gags/stunts/occasional clever intertitle appear, but I take against this film because I don't get what's so special about the female love interest -- I would've left that bitch after she had me sitting in the rain after our nice date (and I'm not a picky dude).
Rated 19 Aug 2013
hulothulot
Rated 01 Aug 2013
100
96th
watched: 2013, 2020
Rated 01 Aug 2013
domahdomah
Rated 23 Mar 2013
75
54th
One of the weakest of the Keaton films in my opinion. More formulaic and less original than past outings.
Rated 23 Mar 2013
amadeusAmadeus
Rated 08 Mar 2013
74
77th
Interestingly romantic with a stunning finale. therefore cannot be compared with the rest of his filmography.
Rated 08 Mar 2013
damildamil
Rated 08 Feb 2012
75
81st
I enjoyed it. It got a few good chuckles out of me and it was quite sweet at points. I don't think it was as fantastic as The General (1926), but it's still very much a Keaton classic worth seeing.
Rated 08 Feb 2012
caimancaiman
Rated 18 Jan 2012
89
89th
Not every joke works and not every scene is good, but that can be said for almost every movie, silent or otherwise. While it maybe could have used some trimming, I enjoyed this a lot. Hilarious physical humor combined with a compelling drama and a story that had my stomach in knots near the end. Very well-written stuff. And I must say, that is the damn CUTEST monkey I've ever seen in a movie.
Rated 18 Jan 2012
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 30 Nov 2011
85
70th
#305
Rated 30 Nov 2011
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 22 Oct 2011
40
97th
"One of Keaton's most impressively self-reflective films and an ode to the unexpected and elusive lightening-in-a-bottle nature of filmmaking." - Eric Henderson
Rated 22 Oct 2011
graveyardtangraveyardtan
Rated 23 Jul 2011
80
57th
The monkey may have been a bit much (and I usually love me some monkeys), but the rest of The Cameraman is an extremely sharp send up of the budding film industry. Keaton gives a solid performance, even if it's not as laugh-out-loud funny as say, Sherlock. Jr, and Day is stunning as his ever-patient love interest.
Rated 23 Jul 2011
roofsrunnerroofs_runner
Rated 02 Jun 2011
96
96th
The Cameraman is a pure fun. This magic film possesses everything to stay legendary for over 80 years. It is beautifully filmed, edited and played. If Charley Chaplin was a kind of silent movies, Buster Keaton was definitely its prince.
Rated 02 Jun 2011
rubanddugRubAndDug
Rated 05 Mar 2011
37
12th
I don't know what it is about Keaton, but other than The General and Sherlock Jr. I find him to be a bit of a let down, which is a shame as he obviously had great talent and wit.. This is the worst I've seen, offering (/exploiting) only one or two interesting things, serving no laughs - Almost more painful than watching him old, fat and washed up in The "Twilight Zone" 33 years later, trying to pull these same routines
Rated 05 Mar 2011
bernardobrumbernardobrum
Rated 29 Dec 2010
88
78th
the real "man with a movie camera"
Rated 29 Dec 2010
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 13 Jan 2010
82
64th
353
Rated 13 Jan 2010
chemical404chemical404
Rated 10 May 2009
81
96th
Close-up shots in the first reel blew me away. Such a wide range of emotions in Keaton's "stone" face. This is his best romantic film. I admit Chaplin did better in "City Lights" or "Modern Times", but Buster wasn't that far behind. Very charming film.
Rated 10 May 2009
joojooJooJoo
Rated 19 Jan 2009
6
95th
Charming as the best of silent comedy. Probably the most restrained and successful use of a monkey in films, as well.
Rated 19 Jan 2009
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
83
66th
338
Rated 19 Dec 2008
dorkovskyDorkovsky
Rated 17 Sep 2008
7
79th
It's fun but it doesn't rank up there with Keaton's greats.
Rated 17 Sep 2008
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 01 Mar 2008
83
72nd
# 331
Rated 01 Mar 2008

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