Buster Keaton Dble Feat.:Gener

Buster Keatons' talents as a performer,gagman,writer,director,et al are in evidence here to their fullest and greatest degree.
This DVD set of all of his works as an independant film maker during the 1920s are here for all of us to enjoy and to marvel at once more or for the first time.
Stan Laurel,another one of the true comedic geniuses of the cinema and his contemporary, once said of Buster:
"Another 'great'.....One of the reasons why I love Buster so much is because he lives comedy as well as practices it.Some of his things are better than Chaplins'"(from 'Mr.Laurel & Mr.Hardy'-John McCabe).
Truer words never spoken and this set proves Stans' words in spades.
Instead of getting into a detailed analysis of each film on technical/restoration and artistic merits(which considering the amount of films to review would take up more space than is available!),I will just give you a brief overview of the set.
As already stated the set contains ALL of his shorts AND his features from the 20s.
Now one must realize and be forewarned that the quality of these prints run from excellent to poor.A good portion fall somewhere between them.
The reasons for this are that some of these films I don't doubt strictly speaking from an age and condition standpoint are probably the best that are currently available and that could be obtained for this release.
Some I suspect were not the best obtainable prints available and /or were not restored to their fullest potential.
Some also may be a combination of poor prints and lacklustre restoration work.
However when you view a top notch print it is a revelation.My vote for best film in this set is Seven Chances.It has the original two tint opening and I have never ever seen such a clear and crisp print of this film anywhere.
And as if getting ALL of Busters' features wasn't enough to satisfy even the most dedicated of Keaton-philes,Kino has inserted an extra DVD with some rare and hard to come by features on it.There are clips from his early 50s TV show,TV commercials,a couple of 30s shorts,The Awakening, a dramatic play aired on Douglas Fairbanks Jr.s' show(which I never tire of watching!),an interactive tour of Busters' film locations prepared by the author of Silent Echoes,John Bengston,and much more.
When it came to purchasing this set I was probably like many of you and balked when looking at the price tag.I finally took a deep breath and took the plunge and I'm SO glad I did and I know you won't be disappointed.The most important thing to remember when deciding is just think about the amount of material here and all in one place,at your finger tips.That finally decided it for me.
I hope it decides it for you too.And enjoy Buster at his finest!!

First things first: I am a huge fan of Keaton, and every film student should have his films in their collection. UNFORTUNATELY, my praise is far from effusive for Kino. The movies in this box set have been available individually for well over a year. I was reticent to get the DVD's in the first place since I ponied up the big bucks when it first came out on Laserdisc many years ago. Last summer, I caved in and started buying the individual DVD's, which cost over $25 brand new per DVD. While this box set will be of financial comfort to those who decided to wait, it's just thumbscrews to the fans who already plunked down their hard cash for it. Yes, they do include a bonus disk that every Keatonphile craves, but all the true Keatonphiles already have the other DVD's. Why make the loyal purchasers pay through the nose again? Kino should offer the bonus disc individually, so everybody can get a taste of its masterworks. Will I give in again to Kino, and buy this set? Don't bet on it. I've shown my fandom by paying big for Keaton discs twice in my life already. Paying for the same stuff a third time would be irrational, and I believe there's a difference between fandom and fanaticism.

One of the few silent films that still manages to stand up today three-quarters of a century after it was originally made. This is thanks to its rapid pace and to the comic genius of Buster Keaton, the master of physical comedy. The sight gags are numerous and quite clever; my favourite is when Buster accidentally aims the cannon at his own train and then through sheer fluke nearly hits his original target. His timing and deadpan expression manage to make even the sillier gags work. There is also a wonderful nostalgic feel to the film watching two old locomotives chase each other across the countryside.