‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’
(written on a wall frame hanging
on Canfield home)
My fourth Buster Keaton film and
‘the great stone face’ again made me bow my head for his unique spirit and
unparalleled contribution to silent cinema.
With moments of fun, romance, action, adventure and thrill it spreads so
genuine entertainment even after almost century of its making. The film is
Keaton’s satire with a plot of family feud that ran from generation to
generation. Men of one family grew up killing men of another family simply
because their forefathers had done so. The Canfield and McKay family killed the
key members of each other’s family as film begins. After death of his father in
feudal tussle, the baby Willie McKay grew up at his aunt’s home, unaware about
family feud. Twenty years later a full grown Willie returns to indulge in a
romance only to ignite the spark of old vengeance with loads of action,
adventure and fun bringing moments of ‘the real motion picture’.
Perhaps in the history of cinema
none of the professional actor performed adventurous stunts with such a sense
of timing and daring caliber as Keaton. If you feel ‘The General’ is brilliant
example of Keaton’s talent, watch this one which is almost a never-to-miss net
practice of it. What’s another adorable quality apart of his self performed
awesome stunts is the way he brought authenticity of machines in his cinema used as brilliant
props. Whether it’s 1830’s first pedleless bicycle or the model of first locomotive 'Stephenson's Rocket' here, he represented curious inventions and rare artifacts of last century’ on screen from the their still confinement of museum and gave them motion like none
other.
For all those Keaton fans, here
is load of brilliant moments to witness. If the journey of train with adjustable
tracks, bumps and curves followed by pet dog is just fun odyssey than his
climactic stunt around waterfall saving his girlfriend is something as historical to the motion pictures.One of the best Keaton film.
A cinema beyond ratings.
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