Buster Keaton Short Films Collection II

Spanning the central phase of Keaton's solo silent shorts, this collection observes the young actor/director as his films were becoming increasingly ambitious. In some ways, these cinematically adventurous two-reelers are like prototypes of the features yet to come. The massive police chase of COPS would evolve into the bridal stampede of Seven Chances, the Western-themed THE PALEFACE is an obvious precedent to Go West, the camera trickery of THE PLAY HOUSE foreshadows Sherlock Jr., and THE BOAT might be viewed as a smaller-scale version of The Navigator. However, these films are anything but practice runs.  To many viewers, the fleet-footed comedies presented here showcase Keaton's genius for comedy in its purest essence: brief, energetic, recklessly creative, and unencumbered by the narrative complexities requisite to a feature film.THE GOAT1921 B&W 23 Min.Directed by Buster Keaton and Mal St. ClairVisual essay by David KalatTHE PLAY HOUSE1921 B&W 23 Min.Directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie ClineVisual essay by Patricia Eliot TobiasTHE BOAT1921 B&W 23 Min. Directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie ClineAlso presented in a digitally enhanced version.THE PALEFACE1922 B&W 20 Min.Directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie ClineVisual essay by Bret WoodCOPS1922 B&W 18 Min.Directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie ClineAlso presented in adigitally enhanced version.Visual essay by Ben ModelMY WIFE'S RELATIONS1922 B&W 17 Min.Directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie ClineVisual essay by Steve Massa