Buster Keaton Collection

Rating:
Summary: Classic Keaton, mixed with studio interference
Review: Buster Keaton holds a lofty position in the field of film comedy. Undoubtedly one of the greatest film comedians of all time, some (like myself) consider Buster the king. While Chaplin became embroiled in pathos and self-awareness, Keaton held true to his comedic insights and persona. This is evident by this fine new release from TCM.

This is Buster at the end of the silent era and the beginning of the talkies - an era dominated by his struggle with MGM to keep some semblance of autonomy. With his move to MGM, Keaton found studio interference more and more with each film, which led to unhappiness and alcohol. Despite this studio interference, Buster still managed to turn out three fine films during this period.

"The Cameraman" is the best of the three, with indisputable Keaton touches throughout the film. Buster is a tintype photographer who dreams of being a top newsweel cameraman. Some shots are hilarious, such as when Buster sees a fire engine. Hopping on board hoping to get a scoop on a big fire, the comedy ensues when Buster realizes the fire engine is merely pulling back into a fire station. Buster's reaction is hilarious.

The DVD release is about as good as the film can be seen today. Some of the film is lost forever, but the digital transfer is good, and the images, for the most part, are fairly sharp.

"Spite Marriage," Buster's last silent, is a jewel that is undeservedly hidden among his great films. He is aided by the excellent Dorothy Sebastian, easily one of Buster's finest leading ladies (a usually thankless role). The blacks and contrasts are sharp on the DVD, and casual Buster fans will discover a wonderful film.

"Free and Easy" is Buster's first talkie, and as such, is usually dismissed. True, as an early talkie, there are periods of dullness and there are periods of overtalking. Clearly the weakest of the three films in this collection, the film however manages to capture some of the wonderment of Keaton, and offers a fairly good storyline and supporting cast (leading lady Anita Page is still alive at this writing). Compared to some of his later MGM talkies, "Free and Easy" is a highlight.

The bonus materials: A tremendous bonus to this collection is Kevin Brownlow's wonderful documentary "So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM". Viewers will feel some of the frustration Keaton had during this period of his career. The only complaint I have is that it is too short! There are also valuable commentaries available during "The Cameraman" and "Spite Marriage."

I cannot recommend this set enough to Keaton fans and completists. Those just getting interested in Keaton's work will find this set interesting as well.

Rating:
Summary: Smile for The Camerman
Review: Comedy and tragedy get equal billing in this unspooling of three films the silent-era comic made under the thumb of MGM at the dawn of the sound age. The two-disc set is billed as "a celebration of Keaton's art," but the party is best saved for his earlier works as an indie. Of the films here, only the silent "The Cameraman" comes guaranteed to charm contemporary audiences. The other two have their moments but play today more as Keaton curiosities.

This set succeeds because its compilers and commentators never flinch in placing the films in their historical context. The later films are in part evidence of an artist's destruction via corporate abuse and career vandalism. And so viewers are encouraged to hiss as the studio makes its villainous entrance in "So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton at MGM," a new 40-minute documentary that should be viewed as the gateway to the set.

The wildly successful "The Cameraman" gives few hints of what was to come. TCM host Robert Osborne calls the film "one of the true Keaton classics," and it appears here nearly intact, in reasonably good shape. The film's original negative was lost in a vault fire, but restorers later located a master positive that had been set aside as source material for an MGM highlights film. The positive was incomplete, however, so video quality on the DVD lurches about.

The DVD version of "The Cameraman" comes alive with a new score from Arthur Barrow, an alumnus of Frank Zappa's bands. The score respects the silent traditions but doesn't hesitate to innovate, as in the psychedelic wisps in the opium den scene.

Commentator Glenn Mitchell provides a good excuse to run the film twice -- the British academic has a good story to go with nearly every scene. (He appears to be reading, though, and through some editing error tells the history of the print twice, moments apart.)

"Spite Marriage" was Keaton's last silent, famous for its scene in which the comic tries to get his drunk bride onto the bed. The video looks good and is complete. The film has some great gags, with co-star Dorothy Sebastian tough enough to stay right in step with Keaton's physical comedy. But while "The Cameraman" still seems fresh, "Spite Marriage" feels like an old movie.

"Free and Easy" devolves into an awkward MGM backstage musical. Keaton not only talked, but he also sang and danced on the title number. His loping voice seemed just fine for the talkies, but the jokes are in short supply here. The print suffers from plenty of scratches and splotches; there is no commentary to prolong the experience.

Rating:
Summary: Almost worth getting for
Review: Considered a "model" MGM comedy, "The Cameraman" was used to train other moviemakers as an example of how a comedy should be constructed. Of course, MGM took credit for what was essentially still a Buster Keaton production, the last time he'd be allowed such creative control, sadly. Even then, the film show the MGM mark, in that this is a very sympathetic character.

There are some wonderful moments here. The "elevator" shot, in which Keaton goes up and down several flights of stairs to catch a call from his beloved, is a highlight, as are many of the pool scenes. Watch out for the [...] shot in the pool.

The other films are interesting to watch once, just to say that you've seen them. But knowing the heights that Buster had attained, it's hard to watch as he loses control of his work, knowing that his worst years are just ahead of him at this point. It helps knowing that all worked out relatively well in the end, but MGM just didn't know what they had, and didn't know how to go about letting a genius be a genius. Perhaps they didn't recognize what they had in Buster. I don't know.

I wouldn't recommend this collection to the Buster newbie. It's best to start off with "Sherlock Jr." or "The Navagator" or "Our Hospitality" first, then on to meatier works such as "The General" or perhaps the Keaton/Arbuckle collection. Only then would I try this collection. Though I found "The Cameraman" quite entertaining, the other films are really only for Buster afficianados.

The only highlight for me in "Free and Easy" for example, was Buster singing the title song and doing a little dance in clown makeup. It was a kick just to hear his voice, though that midwest twang of his might give some indication of why MGM, or most anyone else at the time, didn't realize that under that yokel voice and uneducated manner of speaking of his lurked a true master.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS WHY DVD'S ROCK!!!
Review: If it weren't for the DVD format, stuff like this Keaton collection would be lost. Now I cannot say that the three films contained are Keaton at his best, however.

We always think of Keaton as a silent star, but in reality, he made more talking films than silent. His first talkie, Free and Easy from 1930 is included in this set. To be quite honest, this is one of Keaton's worst films. This is perhaps the most leaden film Keaton ever made! It is incredibly slow and dull,with only minimal patches of action ,and nothing really funny for Buster to do.

"Spite Marriage" from 1929 is a partial sound movie with a full score and audience noises and sound effects. Elmer (Keaton)is a dry cleaner. He is madly in love with stage star Trilby Drew; for each of her 35 performances, he dons someone else's tuxedo and races to the theatre. When Trilby's co-star boyfriend gets engaged to a socialite, she marries Elmer to get even, assuming Elmer is a millionaire. I don't know what exactly went wrong with Spite Marriage. It's just very weak. There are a few good moments, but none of them great. The best scene involves Buster trying to get his wife, passed out from too much wine, into bed.

"The Cameraman" 1928 - While plying his trade of TinType Photographer, Keaton meets up with Sally (Marceline Day) who works at MGM. Being smitten by her beauty and charm Keaton contrives to visit her at her workplace and decides to move from Tintype to Movie photography with the inevitable catastrophic results. Sally is captivated by his naivety and abets him in his quest to become a top news reel man.

This was keatons last TRUE silent film. It is reminiscent of some of his early slapstick works: there's a pure anarchistic glee throughout that finally explodes in an incredible scene involving a monkey, a movie camera, and Keaton amidst a full-fledged Chinese gang war (!) that must surely go down as one of the most ambitious gags anyone has ever attempted. While not as good as Keaton's earlier films, it's still very good.

As you see, the movies in this set do not show off Keatons best work but I give it four stars due to the excellent commentary tracks included in the set. These alone boost the set a full star to star and a half in my mind.

Rating:
Summary: CHOICE (NOT PRIME) KEATON
Review: If you're new to Keaton, you may want to start with Kino's THE ART OF BUSTER KEATON which includes all of Keaton's work as an independent film maker. These films set the gold standard of silent film comedy, acting and direction. The TCM set begins where the independent films end and mark the beginning of the end of Keaton's career as a leading film comedian. It starts on a high note with THE CAMERAMAN and then is followed by two weaker films. The films in this set were available on tape but in poor quality, especially THE CAMERAMAN. The films in this DVD set have been re-mastered which makes purchasing it worthwhile even if you have them on tape. I haven't seen the documentary but if it's up to Brownlow's usual standards, it should be great.

FYI - If you want to see what Keaton's stay at MGM did to him, get WHAT! NO BEER (1932) his last film for MGM. It's hard to believe that in only four years the bright, alert and clever Keaton of THE CAMERAMAN had morphed into a stoned zombie who could barely stand up and say his lines. He was fired after that film but was able to slowly turn his life around after that.

Rating:
Summary: Five Star Presentation. Four Star Material.
Review: THE CAMERAMAN is one of my favorite Keaton films and it's great to have it in about as good a shape as we're ever likely to see it with a suitable new score from Arthur Barrow. This film illustrates what Keaton's career at MGM could have been like if only the top brass had listened to him. SPITE MARRIAGE, Buster's last silent and almost as good as THE CAMERAMAN, is in great shape and features its original 1929 soundtrack which is also in good shape although I would have liked the option of a modern track to choose from. There can be no choices regarding FREE AND EASY. Being Keaton's first talkie the soundtrack is an essential part of the film and showcases what was to be Buster's downfall, the move away from visual to verbal gags and the transformation of his character from resourceful self-sufficiency to a hapless boob who no longer gets the girl. This transformation is clearly shown in the new Photoplay Productions documentary SO FUNNY IT HURT: BUSTER KEATON AT MGM which rounds out this 2 DVD set. As in TCM Archives earlier offering of Lon Chaney films, this is a first class presentation with quality packaging and loads of bonus material. Interesting as entertainment and fascinating as history as you see how sound and the corporate mentality almost destroyed one of the greatest comedy talents of all time. Now it's time for TCM Archives to issue a restored package of Greta Garbo's best MGM silent films to celebrate her 100th anniversary in 2005.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Those Who Enjoy Comedies...
Review: There are those few entertainers who surpass all of their peers-Buster Keaton is among those few. These days not many people appreciate the work of someone as talented as Keaton, being that comedy now is only considered grand if it can be associated with our recent so-called "comedy favorites." Those, basically being any R-rated teen comedy that tends to be gross, rather than being humourous. Fortunately, for those of us who prefer to watch real comedies featuring real comedians, TCM has released the Buster Keaton Collection on DVD. This collection features three of Keaton's films, two being silent while the third is Keaton's first talking film. "The Cameraman," to me is one of Keaton's best silent films, you can't help but laugh when you see him trying to film a war while carrying a monkey on his shoulder, causing problems for him none-the-less. "Free & Easy" is enjoyable as well and in this film we see a young but charming Robert Montgomery. This collection really is for those who appreciate genuine comedy, regardless of your age, after all I'm only 19, so as you can see this collection will humour many generations!

Rating:
Summary: A Keaton keeper!
Review: This is one set as a Keaton fan that you should add to your collection.
The rating however should really be three and a half stars.
This set comes in a handsome pull apart case housing the two DVDs but I was disappointed to find no booklet/liner notes with details about these new releases,i.e.sources for the prints,restoration work,etc.
The Cameraman is the BEST thing about this set.The 90s release of it on VHS came in around 70 minutes and was a poor transfer.By comparison this new version comes in at about 75 minutes and is the most complete commercially released print so far.It has been re-released with a NEW score and not the original featured on the VHS version.I personally would have preferred the original score but the new one does have a certain charm and in the end does justice to the film.With the additional footage/title cards,its' improved and adjusted contrast and overall picture quality, it has heightened,at least to this reviewer,its' reputation and enjoyment as one of Keatons' best films.
The next film is Spite Marriage.Two versions were released originally of this film,one a silent and THIS one with sound effects and a musical score.It would have been very nice to have had BOTH in this set for comparison/historical purposes but such was not the case.This print shows absolutely no improvement over the previously released VHS version also released in the 90s.It shows very few signs of being "cleaned up" at all.They have again adjusted the contrast but other than that and the sound being improved through digital means,the film as a re-release (technically) overall is a disappointment.
And the final film in this set "Free and Easy" is again, and even MORE so, a technical disappointment.This re-release print is even worse than Spite Marriage,quite "rough" throughout with some footage even out of focus.Seems they just took it out of the vault and with minimal work did a transfer onto DVD and it shows.Certainly unworthy in a release such as this.
Rating of these works based on their artistic merits also parallels their techinical merits.
The Cameraman is by far the best in plot structure and truest to the Keaton style.It was a fantastic start to his MGM phase but how unfortunate that the lions' vision was so myopic.
Spite Marriage lags a ways behind the Cameraman because of the now more noticable studio interference.There are many true Keaton touches throughout but the cumbersome plot and pace often get in the way of enjoying this film more.
Free and Easy lags even farther still behind Spite Marriage.The iron fist of the studio is evident throughout this film and the Keaton we knew is now just a player with little room to maneuver.His character has now been "warped" and the "funny" business he speaks and performs fed to him by the script writers falls totally flat.Keaton was a consummate pro and even under these conditions his brilliance still managed to rise to the surface occasionally.His singing and dancing is one highlight out of very few.
To add to the enjoyment of this set are commentaries offered for both the Cameraman and Spite Marriage by familiar film historians.
Also,and a great delight to this reviewer,is the additonal inclusion of a 38 minute special produced by film historian Kevin Brownlow and narrated/hosted by Keatons' friend and actor James Karen.Two special highlights included in this documentary of Keatons' MGM years are further sound/video clips from his CBC interview of 1964 not included in A Hard Act To Follow and some tantalizing amateur footage of Keaton in New York City during the filming of The Cameraman.A wonderful complimentary piece to this set.
In conclusion although this set is technically disappointing in so far as Spite Marriage and Free and Easy are concerned(thus the 3 1/2 star rating),The Cameraman outshines them both.Historically and artistically, especially in so far as Keatons' career goes,these films are quite important.And with the addition of the added Brownlow documentary this is one set no true Keaton fan should be without.

Rating:
Summary: ABOUT TIME
Review: This set makes Keaton's last silent work available on DVD. Although these films were available on VHS, the new DVD releases are superior to the VHS versions in the following ways:

THE CAMERMAN
The video and audio on the DVD are a great improvement over the VHS version. For many years, the only available version of this film was a very beat up copy. That version appeared on VHS with a murky piano score. For the DVD release, Warner/MGM tracked down an excellent print and provided it with a new score. The picture looks great but the new score isn't much to talk about. Too bad, since there are people who score silent films for a living and could have provided a better one than this.

SPITE MARRIAGE
The video and audio on the DVD are also an improvement over the VHS version. The picture looks like it was remastered from the original negative and is not heavily cropped as the VHS version. The original soundtrack seems to have been remastered. It is bright and clear compared to the VHS version. To see the difference what a proper sound track can do to the enjoyment of a silent film, compare this track to the one provided on THE CAMERMAN. Night and day.

FREE AND EASY
The DVD version is similar to the VHS version, although the original main title card has been restored in the DVD version. The VHS version was called EASY GO and was probably retitled when the film was made available for TV syndication. I guess they didn't want any confusion between this film and the 1941 MGM film, also called FREE AND EASY. Other than that, the DVD version is the VHS version.

SO FUNNY IT HURTS (DVD Extra)
This 40 minute film by Kevin Brownlow details Keaton's stay at MGM. It very good. If you want the definative documentary on Keaton, track down Brownlow's BUSTER KEATON: A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW. Unfortunately, it's only available on VHS and a bit pricy - but it's worth it. Maybe someday it will make it's way to DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Keaton, always Keaton
Review: Three Keaton movies. Two aren masterpieces, THE CAMERAMAN and SPITE MARRIAGE.
FREE AND EASY is a talkie but is a different film, not have the style Keaton, and not have your feeling. DOUGHBOYS is a best talkie, but not this. I hope see this movie in dvd comming soon. FREE AND EASY have good moments, Keaton sing and dancing. The rest is not genial, is a beging of your decadence.