This American was introduced to these Czech characters by her Korean students. It doesn't transcend culture much more than that!
As a die-hard Buster Keaton fan I was hooked in an instant. The relationship between Pat and Mat is as warm, mischievous, and trouble-prone as between the characters Buster created on screen with his mentor, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Pat and Mat are friends and neighbors for whom the most ordinary of tasks, such as opening a can of goulash, trigger cascades of mishaps. Like Keaton, Mat and Pat somehow always manage to land on their feet in the end, even if they never achieve their original goals.
The gags themselves are so purely and perfectly Keatonesque that I feel as if The Great Stone Face himself must have somehow passed a bit of his elfin, tinkering spirit to Lubomir Benes and his team to nurture, play with, and make truly their own. The granddaddy of silent comedy would be proud indeed to see where Pat and Mat have taken the art form, to delightful new heights.
Pat and Mat will entertain adults and children in equal measure, and like Keaton's work, will remain fresh and funny for generations.
As a die-hard Buster Keaton fan I was hooked in an instant. The relationship between Pat and Mat is as warm, mischievous, and trouble-prone as between the characters Buster created on screen with his mentor, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Pat and Mat are friends and neighbors for whom the most ordinary of tasks, such as opening a can of goulash, trigger cascades of mishaps. Like Keaton, Mat and Pat somehow always manage to land on their feet in the end, even if they never achieve their original goals.
The gags themselves are so purely and perfectly Keatonesque that I feel as if The Great Stone Face himself must have somehow passed a bit of his elfin, tinkering spirit to Lubomir Benes and his team to nurture, play with, and make truly their own. The granddaddy of silent comedy would be proud indeed to see where Pat and Mat have taken the art form, to delightful new heights.
Pat and Mat will entertain adults and children in equal measure, and like Keaton's work, will remain fresh and funny for generations.