In which we meet two families, both alike in their lack of dignity. The second of Buster Keaton’s self-directed feature films, Our Hospitality is both a precursor to some of his later triumphs and a simply executed movie that succeeds on its own terms. Like many Keaton films, I caught this one for free in a…
In which one roll of film is all the exposure Buster Keaton needs. Until watching The Camerman I had found Buster Keaton to be a less emotional performer than Charlie Chaplin (the comparison is needless, they both excel, but often made). Here, he changed my mind with a central role that’s more sweetly romantic than those…
In which cinema’s most famous stunt falls upon us. After enjoying The General and Sherlock Jr, I approached Steamboat Bill Jr with great excitement for more of Buster Keaton’s mix of physical mastery and succinct storytelling. You know what you’re getting with a Keaton film and this delivers plenty of both. It seems as though these three movies, widely…
In which we meet the world’s greatest detective and find an inception prequel. I’ve always been drawn to anything related to Sherlock Holmes since I first read my way through every story in my teens. From the BBC’s Sherlock, through Guy Ritchie, Chris Columbus’ Young Sherlock Holmes and all the way back to Basil…
In which we get a return ticket through the frontlines of the American Civil War. Buster Keaton is one of those actors like Charlie Chaplin that we almost all recognise, most of us have seen a clip or still from their films and many can name at least one or two titles. In contrast…