The Best of Buster Keaton The General / Steamboat Bill + 4 Short Filmss) (2-Disc)

Buster Keaton wrote and directed most of his two and three-reelers with Eddie Cline, who also appears in several of them (as Edward F. Cline). Keaton is considered one of the Big Three silent-era comedians, along with Harold Lloyd and Charles Chaplin.

Highlights of this marvelous three DVD set:

"The General" is a cinematic classic-- nothing less. This is a movie everyone should see. It's a great introduction to the silent film genre. Keaton's amazing acrobatic skills, his dead aim, pantomimic ability and expressive mannerisms have never been put to better use, or topped by anyone, anywhere.

"The Play House" is a most remarkable short. In the space of 20 minutes, Keaton manages to portray 20 different roles: he's the audience, actors, orchestra and a stagehand. A tour-de-force!

"Steamboat Bill Jr." contains Keaton's most dangerous stunt. A wall topples over and the stationary and upright Buster is positioned precisely so that he passes harmlessly through an open window, the wall landing on the ground around him. This was such a hazardous trick, half of the production crew walked off in protest rather than be witness to Keaton possibly getting killed by this plummeting object.

"Parlor, Bedroom & Bath" is a pre-code comedy that showcases Keaton's comedic talents in a speaking part. Also in this film is Cliff Edwards, who was once known as Ukulele Ike. Edwards' most famous role was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in PINOCCHIO. His recording of "When You Wish Upon a Star" won an Academy Award in 1941.

In "Li'l Abner," Keaton has a supporting role. In this one he's a dead ringer for Lonesome Polecat, the little Indian who brews Kickapoo Joy Juice in an enormous cast iron cauldron. The other actors here are also remarkable look-alikes who bring to life their comic strip characters. Although the script is slight, this is still a fun movie.

For more superb silent movie comedy, SMILES & SPECTACLES - The Harold Lloyd Treasury is just the thing!

Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings gathered at a film resource website.

SHORTS:
(6.9) The Balloonatic (silent-1923) - BK/Phyllis Haver/Babe London (uncredited)
(7.2) The Blacksmith (silent-1922) - BK/Joe Roberts/Virginia Fox
(7.4) The Boat (silent-1921) - BK-- uncredited: Edward F. Cline/Sybil Seely
(8.0) Cops (silent-1922) - BK/Joe Roberts/Virginia Fox/Edward F. Cline
(7.2) Daydreams (silent-1922) - BK/Renée Adorée uncredited: Edward F. Cline/Joe Keaton/Joe Roberts
(7.4) The Electric House (silent-1922) - BK-- uncredited: Virginia Fox/Joe Keaton/Louise Keaton/Myra Keaton/Joe Roberts
(6.6) The Frozen North (silent-1922) - BK/Joe Roberts/Sybil Seely/Bonnie Hill
(8.1) The Goat (silent-1921) - BK/Virginia Fox/Joe Roberts/Malcolm St. Clair
(7.1) The Love Nest (silent-1923) - BK/Joe Roberts/Virginia Fox
(6.7) My Wife's Relations (silent-1922) - BK-- uncredited: Wheezer Dell/Monte Collins/Kate Price/Harry Madison
(8.3) One Week (silent-1920) - BK/Sybil Seely/Joe Roberts
(7.1) The Paleface (silent-1922) - BK-- uncredited: Virginia Fox/Joe Roberts
(8.1) The Play House (silent-1921) - BK-- uncredited: Edward F. Cline/Virginia Fox/Joe Roberts
(8.2) The Scarecrow (silent-1920) - BK-- uncredited: Edward F. Cline/Al St. John

FEATURES:
(8.2) The General (silent-1927) - BK/Marion Mack/Charles Henry Smith/Frederick Vroom
(4.9) Li'l Abner (1940) - Jeff York/Martha O'Driscoll/Mona Ray/Johnnie Morris/BK
(5.5) Parlor, Bedroom & Bath (1931) - BK/Charlotte Greenwood/Reginald Denny/Cliff Edwards
(7.9) Steamboat Bill, Jr. (silent-1928) - BK/Tom McGuire/Ernest Torrence/Tom Lewis
(5.6) The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940) - Billy Gilbert/Anita Louise/Margaret Hamilton/Alan Mowbray/BK

BONUS:
Disc 1: Buster Keaton gallery (3 min)
Disc 2: Buster Keaton posters (2 min)
Disc 3: Triva quiz

Again Amazon has reviews that do not match the item: this is a two-disc set which does not contain the films reviewed.

I'm new Keaton but love silent comedies. It's very hard to find good prints of older films with so many different variations and the more expensive the better copy there is. However, there exist many good cheaper versions and this is one of the best i've seen. It's out of print (dont know if they will get anymore) but if you find it then I highly recommend it. You get some of his best films and the picture quality is very good expect I notice the white is very bright in some prints. Still, this is a very good start to Keaton and his movies for a good price.

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