Compagnon de route de Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd ou des Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton commence sa carriere sur les planches a l'age de trois ans, aux cotes de ses parents, avec lesquels il forme un trio comique. Il devient rapidement une petite vedette du burlesque et developpe les capacites physiques qui lui permettront plus tard de realiser les impressionnantes cascades de ses films.Dans La Mecanique du rire, Keaton raconte l'enfance et la scene, l'experience de la guerre, l'entree dans le cinema, le succes et le passage a la realisation, puis le fulgurant declin peu apres l'arrivee du cinema parlant, en passant par les anecdotes de tournage ou les astuces filmiques de la mecanique keatonienne... Cette autobiographie d'une formidable modestie est le temoignage unique d'un homme qui a traverse Hollywood, de son essor a la fin de son age d'or.

''My Wonderful World of Slapstick'' is the intimate 1960 autobiography of legendary silent film comedian Buster Keaton, co-written alongside journalist Charles Samuels. The book offers a fascinating, firsthand glimpse behind "The Great Stone Face," tracing his 60-year journey across vaudeville, silent movies, talking pictures, and early television. Keaton details his chaotic childhood as the "undentable tot" in his family's vaudeville act, "The Three Keatons". His father would routinely hurl him across the stage, into the wings, or directly into bass drums-a rough-and-tumble training ground that built his unmatched physical comedy skills. The memoir captures his transition into Hollywood, triggered by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who taught him the art of the custard pie pie-throw. He reflects fondly on creating cinematic history alongside peers like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Mack Sennett. Rather than purely dwelling on the glitter, Keaton candidly addresses his harrowing battles with severe alcoholism, career downfalls after the silent era ended, and his ultimate personal and professional survival. The narrative is, however, rich with performance anecdotes.