Buster Keaton - Vol. 1 Reviews

superb comedies

Catching up on these old comedies you spot different things that what you saw when watching them years ago. Apart from the straightforward humour I now see how much surrealism is involved in some of the setups, the train journey in 'Our Hospltality' is a masterpiece in taking a simple joke into higher levels. Well recommended

Rent it Now

Keaton's inventive, thrilling, endearing, poignant, intelligent, ironical, and downright hilarious. (Watch out for the 'I lost a dollar' scene in Sherlock Jr, it's textbook). Don't be put off that it's silent, the excellent musical accompaniment more than fills in the gap. Tip: Our Hospitality works well in a double-bill with 'The General'!

Timeless comedy?

Unlike other reviewers, I am ashamed to say that I did not laugh out loud once. Perhaps silent films really need the big screen to flourish. I'm extremely lucky in having a local cinema that often shows Buster Keaton double bills accompanied by a live pianist. Whilst on the subject of music, I thought the soundtrack for Sherlock Jnr just didn't fit, whilst that for Our Hospitality was better for its simplicity (piano in the silent cinema tradition, heavily influenced by Beethoven's dramatic swings and diminished seventh chords).

Although not for me laugh out loud funny, both were very entertaining, dazzling in their daring stunts (I seem to remember hearing Keaton almost died in the making of Our Hospitality), and great use of the camera for comic effect. Sherlock Jnr is by far the more inventive; the visual gags come fast and just don't stop, right up to the final classic comment on life literally imitating art. I think the notion of real life entering the cinema screen must have influenced Woody Allen for the Purple Rose of Cairo.

Last words: my 3 year-old god-daughter was watching the films with me. I thought she might find some of the slapstick funny, but she remained serious, almost bored, through even the classic banana skin gag. She finally did crack up though with the water soaking scene in Sherlock Jnr. So yet another generation 'gets the joke'.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Watching Buster Keaton's sublime vaudevillian-slapstick is my Woody-Allen-Hannah-&-Her-Sisters revelation moment; there's something life-affirming about the pure comedic anarchy of early cinema. Keaton mixes this expertly with a gentle social commentary that never becomes overbearing or intrusive; the link between cinema and wish-fulfillment in Sherlock Jnr is one example of the intelligence of his story-telling.

Both films are fast-paced and absorbing. 'Our Hospitality,' complete with a more authentic soundtrack is a hilarious take on social etiquette; Keaton's character locked in a feud with an impeccably polite Southern family, who will only kill him once he has left their house. Sherlock Jnr, however, has been given a new soundtrack, which quite simply is the silent equivalent of dubbing and has about the same effect. It's a great story, about a wrongly accused young man imagining his retribution as the famous detective. At 44 minutes it's perfect for family watching, but the inclusion of the James Bond theme tune at one point feels awkward, bombastic and a little derogatory to a masterpiece of silent cinema that never needed updating in the first place.

Interesting fact: during the railway-water scene in Sherlock Jnr Keaton broke his neck, and didn't realise until later....!

hilarious disc....

considering when these films were made, the level off technical comedy, and level of ingenuity with the stunts is amazing.

I was expecting to be interested, and maybe smile once or twice.. but i wasn't expecting to be laughing out loud at all.

And I did. A lot.

It's amazing just how entertaining these silent films can be. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in comedy or the history of where films started off.

mixed bag

Sherlock jnr is wonderful (4 stars), our hospitality is not so great (2 stars). worth renting for shelock jnr alone though.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Classic brilliance

Considering that more than 80 years have passed since the making of these films, their quality is astounding. The thought and ideas that went into them must make Buster Keaton one of the true geniuses of the cinema, an artist of film. These masterpieces are a must for any student of media and cultural studies.

I laughed out loud

The High Sign is everything a silent movie shuld be - lots of visual gags, and crazy stunts.

I laughed. My wife laughed. We will rent it again.

A little old and crackly - the films, not me!

Some of these prints aren't great, which makes watching a bit wearisome. The material is very dated now and many of the gags just really dated.

Buster Keatons more recent material is cleverer and easier to watch.