Beautiful Buster! by MATTHEW HAYS The clever folk at Just for Laughs and the Cinémathèque québécoise have set about to celebrate cinematic and TV genius this summer. Both Buster Keaton and Lucille Ball will be honoured with their own retrospectives this summer (both series open this Wednesday, July 12). Keaton, of course, has often been compared to Charlie Chaplin. Though they are both universally revered comic geniuses, Chaplin's career effectively eclipsed that of Keaton's. The latter cinematic talent faded from view for years, while Chaplin remained a formidable box-office draw and screen presence for decades. Chaplin's appeal was perhaps a bit more audience-pleasing; certainly, he was much more sentimental than Keaton, whose predilection for absurdism ultimately led to collaborations with existentialist Samuel Beckett. Thus Chaplin's oeuvre proved far more accessible for many moviegoers than Keaton's. This retrospective, carefully put together by the curators, will remind viewers of just how wondrous Keaton's magic could be. His hilarious deadpan expressions were matched by a superb physical skill (Keaton never employed a stunt double in his entire career, which, when one witnesses some of his sequences, is no small feat). My personal favourites: Seven Chances (1925), in which Keaton must marry by 7 p.m. or forego a massive inheritance; and The General, a film set during the American Civil War which features some of Keaton's most amazing stunt work. Also not to be missed is Buster Keaton Rides Again, the John Spotton NFB documentary about the man's life and work. Incidental bit of Keaton trivia: did you know Keaton was nicknamed Buster by none other than Harry Houdini himself? Vaudeville lore has it that the famous magician was taken aback by the resilience of a six-month-old Keaton, whom Houdini witnessed falling down a flight of stairs, with nary a scratch to show for it. It has been said there are three women who changed the face of the contemporary sitcom: Lucy, Mary and Roseanne. The other Just for Laughs/Cinémathèque summer collaboration will celebrate Lucille Ball, with The Unseen Lucy & Desi. The retrospective includes various episodes from their televised careers, from their first appearance together as the characters they made famous, to their last. The Keaton series runs until July 30; the Ball series runs until July 23. See repertory listings for showtimes. The Canadian Centre for Architecture's most excellent film series, highlighting movies which feature European cities, continues this summer. Today, July 6, Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner (the inspiration for You've Got Mail) shows off the city of Budapest. Next Thursday, July 13, political intrigue, Margarethe von Trotta-style, is on screen with Rosa Luxembourg. In two weeks, the series will continue (July 20) with one of my favourite movies of the '70s, Julia, starring Jane Fonda as Lillian Helman. The film also features Jason Robards and Meryl Streep (in her first big supporting role). All shows start at 6 p.m. And they're free! Info: 939-7000. : COMMENTS: matt_hays@babylon.montreal.qc.ca