The silent-film star's deadpan style combined with his kinetic energy have inspired today's most acclaimed stars, from Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver to Awkwafina. Nicole Davis explores why the actor and filmmaker's style is still a fitting response to modern life. Buster Keaton was something of an enigma to his own era. The silent-film star launched himself between rooftops, battled storms and sand dunes, boarded moving vehicles – and frequently trailed behind them, perfectly horizontal and as suspended as our disbelief – all in the name of comedy, and all while seeming unfazed. Film historian Peter Kramer, in his essay...