Jackson Pollock, a Bicycle, and a Case of Schlitz
Above is one of my favorite mixes of slapstick humor, showing instead of telling, and skilled filmmaking. If you don't know, this is Ed Harris portraying the legendary painter Jackson Pollock in the 2000 film "Pollock." The film is rather slow and meandering but Harris is excellent in it and of course this happened. I love this clip for so many reasons. First off it is an absurd bit of comedy; a drunk man riding a bicycle with a heavy case of beer eventually falling and losing all his beer. That is grade A, silent film comedy. Buster Keaton couldn't have done it better (although he would have shot it in wide, the standard for comedy). S econd , it's a single shot, tells you so much about the characters foibles, and if you're really paying attention you see the camera bobbles when Harris hits the pavement which lets you know the bike crash was likely unintended as the camera gives itself away at that moment (breaking with the style of the film). That i...