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悲劇のコメディアン
筆者が今、夢中になっているサイレントムービー。
その当時活躍した喜劇役者の中では、体重130キロを越えるというロスコー・アーバックルがお気に入りだ。
キートンやチャップリンとも交友のあった彼は、波乱の人生を送ったという。
A tragic comedian
These days I find myself intoxicated by silent movies. Flickering badly and playing oddly fast, the films are often both overexposed and underexposed. They require some effort to watch and almost dare you to dismiss them.
To modern eyes, the acting techniques used in old films often look melodramatic in the extreme. But this over-the-top-acting holds up pretty well in slapstick comedies.
One of my favorite comedians is Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. He was among the biggest and best-loved stars of the silent era. Though he spent his career making people laugh, his own life was hugely tragic.
The baby-faced comedian weighed over 130 kg, yet he was incredibly agile, and never used his weight to get a cheap laugh. One of the first stars to direct his own films, Roscoe Arbuckle was mentor and friend to another silent comedy great, Buster Keaton. He also gave Charlie Chaplin the idea for his famous little tramp costume with a small hat and too-short trousers.
In 1921 Arbuckle was making $1 million a year, a tremendous amount of money at the time, and filming at a breakneck pace. He was on top of the world — but not for long.
Arbuckle needed a break and in September he decided to take a trip to San Francisco where he threw a wild party that would forever change his life.
The star and two friends checked into the St. Francis Hotel. They invited a number of guests and held a raucous party. One of the guests, a bit-part actress named Virginia Rappe, became violently ill and died in hospital four days later.
In what was to become one of Hollywood's first big celebrity scandals, Arbuckle was accused of raping the woman and causing the injuries that led to her death. He was arrested for murder and later tried for manslaughter three times.
In the first trial the jury was deadlocked 10-2 for acquittal. The case was tried again and the jury was deadlocked 10-2 for conviction. Finally a third trial was held and at last Arbuckle was found "not guilty."
His ordeal was not over. After the trial his films were banned and he was forbidden to work in Hollywood. His old friend Buster Keaton helped him out whenever he could, and Arbuckle spent nearly 10 years directing films under an assumed name.
Finally in 1932, Arbuckle appeared in six short films for Warner brothers, and on June 29, 1933, he signed a contract to star in a full-length feature film.
"This is the best day of my life," he told his third wife as they celebrated both the contract and their first wedding anniversary.
Happy at last, Arbuckle was back on top.
He died of a heart attack that night.
Many of the big funnyman's classic videos are readily available to watch online. Please check him out.
- find myself intoxicated by 〜
- (気付くと)〜に夢中になっている
- Flickering badly and playing oddly fast
- ひどくチカチカしたり、変に早回しだったりして
- are often both overexposed and underexposed
- しばしば露出オーバーだったり暗すぎたりする
- dare you to dismiss 〜
- 〜をあきらめろと挑みかけてくる
- melodramatic
- 芝居がかった
- in the extreme
- 極端に
- over-the-top-acting
- 過剰な演技
- holds up
- 通用する
- slapstick comedies
- ドタバタ喜劇
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
- ロスコー・太っちょ・アーバックル(米喜劇俳優・監督・脚本家〔1887-1933〕)
- hugely
- 極めて
- agile
- 身のこなしが軽い
- direct
- 〜の監督をする
- mentor
- よき師
- Buster Keaton
- バスター・キートン(1895-1966)
- Charlie Chaplin
- チャーリー・チャップリン(1889-1977)
- tramp
- 放浪紳士
- (was)filming at a breakneck pace
- すごいペースで映画を作っていた
- threw a wild party
- 乱痴気騒ぎをした
- raucous
- 騒々しい
- bit-part actress
- 端役の女優
- became violently ill
- ひどく体調を崩した
- was accused of 〜
- 〜で告訴された
- (was) tried for manslaughter
- 殺人罪で裁判にかけられた
- jury
- 陪審
- deadlocked
- こう着状態の
- 10-2
- 10対2(評決には全員の一致が必要)
- acquittal
- 無罪判決
- conviction
- 有罪判決
- ordeal
- 試練
- assumed name
- 偽名
- full-length
- ノーカットの
- feature film
- 長編作品