This is Fresh Air.

I'm Dave Davies and today for Terry Gross.

If you know the name Buster Keaton, you'd probably think of him as a guy in old black-and-white

silent movies known for slapstick and sight gags.

It's true he had a gift for physical comedy, but that doesn't begin to describe his talents

or his influence.

In the 1920s, Keaton starred in and directed a string of silent films that are cited by

a long list of great American filmmakers as inspirations.

Berson Wells, to name one, called Keaton a supreme artist, and said his film The General

is one of the greatest of all time.

Seven of Keaton's silent films are on the national film registry.

Apart from his influence on American cinema, Keaton's story is a fascinating one.

Born in the 19th century and a vaudeville star by the age of five, his life took some hard

turns after his burst of creativity in the 20s.

He fell from stardom and battled alcoholism, then regained his footing and had a long

career in show business as a writer and performer.

Our guest, Dana Stevens, is a veteran film critic who's written a new book about Keaton.

Stevens is the film critic for Slate and co-host of its long-running podcast called

Culture Gab Fest.

She's also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other

publications.

Her new book is Camera Man, Buster Keaton, The Dawn of Cinema, and The Invention of

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