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Before making some of the finest films of the Silent Era, Buster Keaton (under the financial guidance of Joseph M. Schenck) made nineteen two-reelers that would define his well-known persona as “The Great Stone Face” comedian. Keaton was already established as a reliable name from his partnership with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, but had yet to “make it” as a solo artist. Metro Pictures would - financially - make that happen. Keaton’s inventiveness would do the rest.
Kino International continues their efforts to get Keaton on HD with this three-disc set which celebrates the foundation of Keaton’s wit and stone-like expression through some of the most inventive two-reelers ever commissioned. The genius of the artist at work shines through each of the nineteen films and shows just how serious Keaton was about his making the masses laugh their asses off.
Beginning in 1920, the set opens with The “High Sign”, a film that puts Keaton’s now-familiar alienated modern man persona firmly on display. Here we see a man who fakes his gunfighting skills so well that both local mobsters and a wanted man seek his employment. More slapstick and less surreal than what would come later, the film’s main set piece is a two story house divided into fourths so that one single camera can capture Keaton’s many escapes. While the film was initially shelved by Keaton and not released until 1922, The “High Sign” has certainly become a fan favorite over the years.
Other highlights of the set include 1922’s hysterical Cops, a film that plays up the brainy irony that Keaton was known for in the construction of his gags. It’s a great example of just how satisfying silent comedies can be – especially the two-reelers – and makes Keaton out to be the National Treasure he should be remembered as. In Cops, Keaton simply cannot win. His nice guy routine goes awry when he accidentally hurls a bomb into a parade of police offers and ends up being chased through L.A. throughout the feature by them. Full of great escapes and perfect Looney Tunes (before there were Looney Tunes mind you) moments, Cops is both culturally and aesthetically important.
The set includes the following short films: The “High Sign”, One Week, Convict 13, The Scarecrow, Neighbors, The Haunted House, Hard Luck, The Goat, The Play House, The Boat, The Paleface, Cops, My Wife’s Relations, The Blacksmith, The Frozen North, Day Dreams, The Electric House, The Balloonatic, and The Love Nest. Mined and mastered from the best possible archival prints around, the nineteen films make for a lovely jaunt back in time when comedy was something more than unfunny recycled Three Stooges routines.
MPAA Rating: This title has not been rated by the MPAA.
