Looking for something a little different to build a couple "movie nights" or "watch parties" out of? Permit us to suggest watching the five films that Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely made together between 1920 and 1922. Don't watch them in the order they were made, but but the order in which they combine to form two different story arcs that relate The Epic Tales of Buster & Sybil!
TALE #1
Buster is an up-and-coming man of business, Sybil is the daughter of a prison warden, and they are in love. Upon getting married, they are gifted with an empty lot build-it-yourself house as a wedding present, and its construction proves to be the first test of their marriage. Several years and two sons later, Buster builds a boat in the garage and then sets out to take the family on a cruise.
Buster woos a farmer's daughter. After being wed on the run, the two move to Alaska to make a new life. But Buster's dark side emerges, and this marriage is not a happy one...
This epic consists of the book-end films from Keaton's and Seely's collaborations: The very first film they made together, and the very last. The Scarecrow (1920) The Frozen North (1922)
All five films can be found online (as is obvious from the posts linked to above), or, in DVD or Blu-Ray collections like the one that we've linked to below. The ones found on disc are generally sourced from better quality--and there's no risk of the link I provide in the posts becoming invalid.
The Frozen North (1922)
Starring: Buster Keaton, Freeman Wood, Bonnie Hill, Sybil Seely, and Joe Roberts
Directors: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
After failing to rob a casino, shooting his neighbors due to mistaken identity, covering up the apparent death of his wife (Seely), and being stopped from ravaging the wife of another neighbor (Hill), a Bad Man (Keaton) goes on the run (and fishing) in the frozen wilderness of Alaska.
"The Frozen North" was the last movie Buster Keaton would make with Sybil Seely, and it was her last film, period, as she retired from show business to focus on her family after completing it. It's different than any of the other four films they made together. Where the other films featured plots and gags that flowed smoothly into each other, with the plot driving the gags and the gags likewise furthering the plot, there isn't much connection between segments here. Even "One Week", which essentially is a series of connected individual skits, felt like it had more of a plot than this film. Here, the main character moves from event to event, and gag to gag, with only the faintest of motivation for doing so--not even the plot moves him to do so, because there is very little plot to speak of here.
This is probably because "The Frozen North" was motivated by very different creative impulses than those previous films. This is, first and foremost a satire of western melodramas starring the extremely popular actor William S. Hart. Although Hart is not well-remembered today, audiences in 1922 recognized who Keaton was lampooning--because Keaton reportedly mimicked several of Hart's gestures perfectly--and they reportedly loved it. Hart, however, was not amused, and he made his displeasure known, publicly. According to some sources--including a aquote from Keaton himself--Keaton was upset that Hart was angered, because Keaton was motivated to make the film because he admired and respected Hart. Other sources, however, hold that Keaton didn't mind angering Hart, because they state the motivation for making this film was anger with Hart, who had been a loud and sanctimonious voice condemning Keaton's friend and mentor Roscoe Arbuckle when Arbuckle was falsely accused of raping and killing a starlet. This article (which also reviews "The Frozen North, but contains more spoilers for the film than I usually include here) addresses both theories, and it's an interesting read.
Comedic highlights of "The Frozen North" include Keaton robbing a casino with a cardboard cowboy as his accomplice; the melodramatic scene involving the murder of Keaton's neighbors, perhaps the most savage swipe at Hart's films, as well as one of the funniest dismissal of double homicide ever put on film; where Keaton's dogsled is pulled over by a traffic cop in the Alaskan wilderness; an ice-fishing trip gone wrong; and an attempt on the part of Keaton's character for force himself on his pretty neighbor--a scene that pokes fun at Erich von Stroheim, another melodrama mainstay of the time. (Unlike Hart, Von Stroheim reportedly got a kick out of being the subject of a spoof.)
"The Frozen North" feels a little more disjointed than some of the other early Buster Keaton comedies, and, because the satire has been has been muted by the passage of time, a little lighter on the laughs. However, it's still worth checking out if you enjoy silent movies, because watching Keaton make fun of many of the period's tropes is well worth your time. In fact, you can watch it right now by clicking on the embedded video below.
Starring: Buster Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Sybil Seely
Directors: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
A series of events leads a golfer (Keaton) to be mistaken for an escaped convict and get dragged off to prison. That's when things get really crazy.
The first few minutes of "Convict 13" is a fun bit of comedy based around golf, which at that time was a growing craze sweeping the nation, flowing downward from the upper-class to engage anyone who had the money for clubs and the time to play. It offers up a little social commentary that's relevant even today, as well having an African-American play the part of a black caddy rather than have someone in black face doing it. The part was substantive in the opening scenes, which makes this even more remarkable. (I recently watched a Harold Lloyd picture that I think was from this same year, and there were numerous men and women made-up to look as if they were African-American but weren't.)
With no warning, however, the film takes a turn for the humorously bizarre. After he gets hauled off to prison in case of mistaken identity, his problems keep escalating following failed escape attempts, foiling his execution in place of the prisoner he's been mistaken for, and finally a prison riot during which his girlfriend, who also happens to be the warden's daughter (played with great charm by Sybil Seeley).
As with a couple of the other early Buster Keaton films I've written about here, I don't want to go into too much detail about the storyline and the wonderful blend of absurdist humor and slapstick gags that come rapid-fire at the viewer, because it would spoil a lot of the fun. (I will say that "Convict 13" has one of the funniest aborted executions scenes you are likely to ever see. Additionally, Sybil Seely really gets to show off her comic chops in this one; it's easy to see why Keaton reportedly wished he could have been able to work with her on more films.)
Although it's a little slow at first, once "Convict 13" gets going, it turns into a hilariously wild ride. What's more, it's tightly scripted, so gags set up other gags as the film unfolds. It is so good that I am even able to overlook the fact that it concludes using what I find one of the most annoying ways to wrap up a story, be it fiction or film; in fact, if I were to set aside my biases, I might even say that this is one of those very rare creations where that ending is actually appropriate.
I recommend that you sit back and watch this great movie, right now, via the embedded YouTube video below!
The Boat (1921)
Starring: Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely, and Eddie Cline
Directors: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
A husband (Keaton) builds a boat in his garage and takes his family sailing. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.
I read somewhere that "The Boat" was, in Buster Keaton's mind, viewed as a sequel to "One Week", a film about the doomed effort by newly-weds to a home from a kit. At one point, Keaton even suggested that the two films be combined to form a single longer feature, although that never happened.
"The Boat" is another masterful mix of aburdist humor, slapstick and set construction, none of which I want to go into detail about because it will spoil the surprises and the laughs. There is also some impressive miniature effects when the boat is caught in a storm and capsizes again and again and again (which is where some of the impressive sets and stunt work also come into play).
The final five or so minutes of the film get a little too intense for me, and I found laughing despite myself--especially at the joke around the boat's name, Damfino--but that intensity gave the film's conclusion (and the SECOND joke based off the boat's name) that much more impact.
This is another film that makes it clear why Buster Keaton is considered one of the masters of early filmmaking. I think it would be entertaining to anyone who enjoys absurdist humor, especially if it is darkly tinged. That's even if you usually say you don't like silent movies. I've made it easy for visitors to watch this great little movie, as I've embedded it below, via YouTube.
One Week (1920)
Starring: Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely
Directors: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars
Newly-weds (Keaton and Seely) build their dream house from a kit they've been given as a wedding present. Thanks to their lack of handiness and sabotage from her ex-boyfriend, things go less than smoothly. Will love conquer all, or will their marriage be over by the end of the week?
"One Week" was the first film Buster Keaton made after his partnership with 'Fatty' Arbuckle ended. When compared to the works that would follow--with their wild chase scenes and elaborate stunts--this is a fairly sedate movie. But it's some 25 minutes of solid hilarity, plus more than a few pratfalls and even some stunts.
In some ways, "One Week" is a collection of brief comedic sketches. The film is divided into sections, each covering a day in the week of the title, each featuring a little bit of plot, a gag or two, maybe a stunt, and all tied together by the couple working together to build their future home together. As the days unfold, the problems with their construction project escalate, in no small part due to interference from the bride's ex. One of the seven days is a Friday the Thirteenth, so on that day, things get really crazy for the newlyweds and their new home.
Humorous highlights of the film include a fun little bit where Keaton and Sybil trade places on the ground and first floor of the house in an instant; Keaton trying to get the chimney onto the roof; a piano delivery gone awry; a storm that has a most unusual effect on the house; the film's climax on the final day of week, which I can't even comment on without spoiling it; and one of the funniest bits of fourth-wall humor I've ever come across. There's also the scene where Sibyl takes a bath, which I partially covered in this post.
Perhaps even more important than the comedy bits are the way that Keaton and his co-creator Eddie Cline deftly fit enough character development of the newly-weds into the scenes that viewers see how much they love each other and subsequently become invested in the success of their do-it-yourself home construction project. For me, their first fight as husband and wife was one of the film's most dramatic moments and it made me smile broadly to see it resolved.
"One Week" is a movie I feel is well-worth your time and attention. I've made it easy to watch it by embedding it for you to watch right here. Just click, sit back, and be ready to laugh.
Sybil Seely was a silent movie comedienne who spent most of her career under contract to Mack Sennett and appearing as a "Bathing Beauty" in some of his films. Her best movies, however, were the short films she made with writer/director Buster Keaton while "on-loan" to him. Keaton enjoyed working with her, but five films were all they were able to make together before she retired from acting in 1922.
The first of the movies Seely made with Keaton was "One Week", a tale of a newly-weds putting up a pre-fabricated home on a lot they were given as a wedding present. In the film, Seely takes a bath... so this film sees her literally being a bathing beauty.
And here are some stills from the part where Sybil drops the soap...
What happens next? Click here to find out! You'll be able to watch the entire film there, as well as read my review of it! (I will be posting reviews of all of the Keaton/Seely films here at Shades of Gray.)
The Scarecrow (1920)
Starring: Buster Keaton, Joe Roberts, Sybil Seely, Joe Keaton, and Luke the Dog
Directors: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars
A pair of friends sharing a one-room house (Keaton and Roberts) are both in love with the farmer's rebellious daughter (Seely)... and both will go to great lengths to win her hand in marriage.
"The Scarecrow" opens with a scene that deftly establishes the relationship between the two main characters, roommates Buster and Joe, but it revolves around a gag that isn't terribly funny. As a result, I didn't have high hopes for what was going to follow, but then the film got into gear and ended up becoming one of the funniest things I've seen.
From the Rube Goldberg contraptions that permeate the main characters' living space, through the business involving the titular scarecrow, and the film's three spectacular chase scenes, viewers are treated to 15 minutes of amazing prop-based and physical comedy. The longest chase involves Keaton being pursued by a dog he believes is rabid and if you don't find it hilarious then you are probably dead inside--or just plain dead. (I included the dog among my list of stars at the top of this review, because it performed as well as its human co-stars!)
But don't just take my word for how funny this film is. Watch it, right now, because I've embedded it below, via YouTube.
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