1923 romantic comedyRating: 17/20 (Dylan: 11/20, Emma 18/20, Abbey 20/20)
Plot: After twenty years in New York, Willie McKay returns south to claim daddy's estate. Prior to his trip, his aunt warns him of a long-standing feud between his family and the Canfields. A Canfield, after all, was responsible for putting bullet in Willie Sr. On the way south, Willie Jr. hits it off with a woman sitting beside him on the train. He's disappointed when he arrives at his birthplace, not only because his father's "mansion" turns out to be nothing more than a shack but because he finds out the woman he's smitten with is in fact a Canfield and that every member of her family wants to kill him. A thing like that could ruin a first date.
Cute little story with lots of visual gags along with some more subdued and modern humor. There's some nice period detail (his bicycle, the minutia within his hometown, the giant hats, a glimpse at Times Square, and especially the rickety funky-looking train) that give this a bizarre, otherworldly atmosphere. It's a funny movie, and it's an exciting movie with some impressive stunt work, especially during a climactic chase scene that involves a horse, a dress, the train again, a boat, a mountainside, and a waterfall. If nothing else, it lends credence to the idea that Buster Keaton is the first Jackie Chan. Except he didn't kick people. And he wasn't Asian. There's nothing completely outrageous about the story. Like most 1920's comedies, you'll know exactly where this is heading, but there's enough charm and fun to make the journey worth it. This and The General are, along with The Gold Rush, good silent romantic comedies to start with for somebody wanting to try out a silent comedy for the first time. And let's just be honest--everybody needs to do that!
Note: A charming Keaton featurette called Sherlock Jr. was also included on this dvd. My children watched it last night while I was out. Abbey rated it a 20/2o, Emma gave it an 18, and Dylan went with a 15. That little movie is stuffed with some absolutely brilliant moments. Our preparation for Wall-E is now complete (the nearly-silent title character was apparently based on Chaplin and Keaton), so we'll see us some Pixar in the next few days.
The back of my head derives no pleasure from these silent movies:
This is ranked as one of Keaton's best, but it falls a little short for me. There are lots of cute bits of business in the first half (the train, the bike, the hat), but overall I found the first 35 minutes kind of dull. It definitely picks up a lot when he encounters the Canfields, and the waterfall scene is terrific, but it kind of feels like the movie is going through the motions. Keaton seems kind of flat, and I felt much less connected to his character than usual. Maybe there are fewer close-ups. Second tier Keaton for me. A 15.
ReplyDeleteI've seen all the silent comedies Keaton starred in but one (that will be remedied tomorrow actually), and I think the "starts dull" argument could be made about almost all of them. The second halves of his movies are usually so much better than the first halves.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this is his first great movie. It's world's better than 'Three Ages' which came out right before it and was the first one he directed. I think it's in his top five, but that might be only if I'm allowed to have six in the top five.
1. The General
ReplyDelete2. The Cameraman
"The Scarecrow" would be here if it counted
3. Sherlock Jr.
4. The Navigator
5. Steamboat Bill Jr.
6. Our Hospitality
Of course, "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" is better than any, but I didn't feel right including it. My main issue with this was that I just didn't care about his character as much as usual, and that diminished the funny.