On September 1, cinema marked a significant anniversary. Back in 1920, the actor Buster Keaton struck out on his own, making his first solo two-reeler called One Week (1920). Having been a partner for Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, it was his chance to prove to the world that he was capable of delivering just as much wacky slapstick and energy with every frame. The results more than speak for themselves, managing to convey a ramshackle house barely holding together. It’s an anarchic short, with a house that eventually gets run over by a train. It’s a brilliant tornado of destruction that ages very well. And the best part? Keaton, “Mr. Stone Face,” never lets up how much it bothers him.
There have been few silent comedians whose legacies have aged as well as Keaton’s. While his later years became muddled with financial issues as cinema transitioned into talkies, the early run could do worse than to watch any of his work. Even his lesser work manages to have this daring nature that reflects a man of athletic and foolish capabilities, putting him in harm’s way for a second’s long gag. One could imagine things going horribly, that Keaton was about to film his obituary. He’s electric because of how orchestrated the entire act is, managing to commit himself fully in ways that weren’t only daring, but would likely be illegal nowadays
He was a purveyor of physical comedy that remains impressive. You can’t help but wonder how he made every painful gag look innocent, like a flick on the wrist. For decades, he delivered these moments and sometimes never got the respect that he deserved. Still, to watch a house fall down on him, or to throw kindling onto a moving train is to see an artist who was never satisfied. He kept pushing boundaries, and in doing so set a bar that only madmen like Jackie Chan or Johnny Knoxville have been able to reach since.
To be upfront: I haven’t seen every Keaton movie. With that said, picking them out blindly is one of the most rewarding experiences of discovering Classic Hollywood. You’ll wonder half the time not only why he did it, but how. You’re grateful that he comes out in one piece as if you’re watching a man evade death every time he opens the door. The following is my own personal Top 5 movies that I’ve seen of his. This will not include any shorts or later films like Sunset Blvd. (1950) or How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) where he’s more of a symbolic cameo. This is Keaton in his prime, able to tumble through chaos like clockwork.
1. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
For those who even have a passing familiarity with early cinema, this film will have at least a few recognizable seconds. It has been often imitated, though with rarely the same grace that Keaton brought to it. Amid a terrible storm that will also pick him up like a ragdoll, he walks out in front of his house, unaware that the front frame is about to fall over him. As he stands in the open space where a window would be, he looks around, unamused by this development.
It’s one of many reasons that this is my pick for his greatest movie. I would even go so far as to say that it’s the best American silent film. From the moment that the opening credits roll, Keaton feels like he’s living on borrowed time. While some of the gags are simpler, such as confusing a jailer into letting him go free, there are plenty of astounding centerpieces to follow as a storm brews up, throwing the entire set into disarray. At one point he even rides a tree as the winds blow. It’s the creative art of the disaster, perfectly encapsulating what Keaton’s whole career is about.
He is a man built to survive, to overcome every obstacle at any cost. While there isn’t a gag here as memorable as the doorframe, there’s enough here to make you understand why he was a physical genius, capable of making Charles Chaplin look like a pansy. It’s the story whose technical ingenuity is impressive even a near-century later, making any dated elements forgivable. To think that silent film was more of a danger zone is an underrated detail. To know that people like Keaton could “safely” pull it off only made it more of a spectator sport that you still need to see to believe.
2. The General (1926)
This is his most popular movie for good reason. Few artists could make something as simple as sitting feel dangerous, and yet he makes it simultaneously one of the most romantic moments in the film. As he sits on the wheel of the train, it begins to move, he kisses his girl as they ride off to the next blunder in their relationship. Considering everything else that goes on, it’s difficult to recognize how dangerous this is because, in all seriousness, this is one of the most chaotic period pieces in film history.
Most people who know The General will likely know the scene where the train drops from the track, breaking into a million pieces in a ditch below. It’s such a provocative image that has been referenced since. But it is only the punchline to the joke that Keaton has been presenting for most of the past hour. He’s eager to keep the train moving, constantly jumping off and on the train, making sure that it stays in perfect condition, believing that this exuberant use of energy will actually produce something noteworthy. He is a hero of a mechanic, working double speed as sabotage refuses to take a break.
There is a reason to care about Keaton as he does all of this, but it almost doesn’t matter. He manages to capture cinema at its most visceral, making the simple task of running a train into a nightmare. It was one of the biggest risks in his career and unfortunately was one of his biggest flops upon release, putting him in debt and having to take safer risks. Still, as time has gone on, the film’s reassessment has been greatly deserved, reflecting on a film that is trying to stay on track, literally. There have been other disaster movies out there, but few feel as straightforward in terms of appeal like this.
3. Go West (1925)
When dealing with a Keaton project, it’s often most interesting to see how he controls his surroundings. Whereas he’s tried to survive the weather and a runaway train, there is something that’s even wilder about him handling an entire herd of cows. The plot is a bit familiar for fans of western mythology, as cattle ranchers much transport their herd across the American plains. There have been great movies made about this, such as Red River (1948) that point out how difficult it is, making heroes of the working class and making the effort into something worth celebrating.
Well, Keaton isn’t exactly going to end this story a hero. As someone wanting to practice being a ranch hand, he spends the film learning how to rustle cattle and doing a familiar set of gags opposite cows. He’s eventually called upon to, as the title suggests, go west and deliver the cattle to a distributor. The only issue is, as you can guess, Keaton’s not always able to keep control of a situation.
Watching him try to control hundreds of cattle is an incredible image, full of this pulse-pounding uncertainty. As they wander the sets, it becomes clear that this is a situation that he may never be able to control, and yet the film finds a way. It’s an entertaining ride that finds his underdog nature mixing with leadership in such a way that you can’t help but root for him. It’s one of his more massive headaches of a plot device, and yet he makes it all feel like a light journey, a minor inconvenience on the road to something greater.
4. Seven Chances (1925)
Even if Keaton has always tended to have a love interest, it would be difficult to call many of his movies romantic. They’re all inspired by these ribald gags that find him barely avoiding a visit to the emergency room. Not here. Yes, he does some physically daunting tasks, but that is to ignore the fact that this is appealing to something more of his character. This is a love story where he deals with seven women all fawning over him, eager to marry him. With such a simple premise, he performs some of his more clever gags that involve nothing more than trick photography and practical effects.
Among his more famous gags from this movie is one where he leaps from a small ledge at a full sprint. Below him is potential death, or at least a few stories’ drop. It’s a provocative image that may be the biggest risk in the whole film. His effort to escape love is an amusing journey that never lets up, managing to find an alternate world where he’s a genuine romantic leading man, able to get the girl and win over the audience. It’s easily his most endearing without sacrificing an ounce of danger or creative peril that defines his work.
5. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Of course, most people watch Keaton and they think of escapism. That is, by nature, what cinema s supposed to do. He brought these fantasies to life and managed to make the world forget their problems. But, in Sherlock Jr., he takes the view of the common man as he tries to imagine what he would do if he was a detective in the film that he’s projecting in an auditorium. It’s full of rich gags, reflective of his bumbling nature and ability to make any genre into his own crazy image. It’s a fun movie full of great visual gags, reflecting the value of the imagination to take us places that we’ll never visit. More than anything, this is his most direct homage to the medium that gave him a career, and he made every minute count.
Honorary Mention
College (1927)
On the one hand, it’s one of his simplest and least interesting films. Harold Lloyd’s take on college (The Freshman (1925)) is a much more successful vision of the underdog trying to get the girl and become the greatest athlete on campus. With that said, Keaton managed to bring his own spin on things with the familiar mix of gags, finding him doing everything with the same haphazard charm. As he falls over, he manages to get up and produce these delightful gags that make this one of his lighter and sweeter affairs.
Still, it’s another example of him being able to appeal to the common man, feeling like they’re about to face an uphill battle. This is the most familiar, serving as a look at how academia is like a hierarchy waiting to be climbed. You can’t wait to see him succeed, serving as one of the early examples of college comedies whose simple goal is to have school spirit and be the best that we can be. What it lacks in originality it more than makes up for as a reminder of what charisma Keaton brought to cinema. Every time he stumbled, he gave you hope by getting up. Sometimes that’s all the advice we need.
What are your favorite Buster Keaton movies? What other titles should I be checking out?
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