Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Damien Walters: Freerunning meets Physical Comedy

[post 378]

I like parkour and I've already written several posts about it. I like it not only because it's cool and acrobatic and creative, but because its use of the existing environment and everyday objects has a lot in common with physical comedy. No wonder that many parkour devotees adopt Douglas Fairbanks and Buster Keaton as their patron saints.

The awesome work of Damien Walters, champion trampolinist, big-movie stuntman, and parkour artist can be seen on YouTube in the form of annual showreels dating back to 2006. What I've done here, exclusively for my favorite physical comedy blogopedia, is to compile a new reel showing you the good (aka physical comedy-ish) parts. Watch Damien hopscotch rooftops; get dressed and undressed in mid-air; fly over, into, and through moving cars; bounce off of trees and fit through "trap doors"; and leap into chairs, sofas, and beds. True, they're not necessarily all done for laughs, but I'm sure you can make the connections. Enjoy!


Blink and you'll miss it, but if you look closely at the 54-second mark, you'll see that the bottle of soda starts by being held between his feet and he grabs it half way through the sommy!

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