SHERLOCK
JR. (1924) – Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Ward
Crane, Erwin Connelly, Joe Keaton. Directed by Buster Keaton. (45
min)
THE
NAVIGATOR (1924) – Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire,
Noble Johnson, Frederick Vroom. Directed by Buster Keaton &
Donald Crisp. (59 min)
ON
BLU-RAY FROM COHEN MEDIA GROUP
Review
by Mr. Paws😸
Cohen
Media Group continues rolling-out their 4K restorations of Buster
Keaton classics. Like Volume 1, which is one of the best Blu-rays of
the year, Volume 2 presents two more films from the era that’s
universally considered his creative peak.
In
Sherlock Jr., Keaton plays a lowly theater projectionist with
dreams of being a great detective. In a roundabout way, he gets his
wish when he falls asleep on the job and projects himself into the
film he’s showing. In this movie-within-a-movie - which mirrors the
wraparound story – he’s Sherlock Jr., dapper detective brought in
to solve the case of some missing pearls. Of course, being Keaton,
he’s more bumbling buffoon than super sleuth. While the story is
fitfully amusing, what makes Sherlock Jr. a true masterpiece
is the editing, visual trickery and action sequences, all of which
are pretty jawdropping for a 95 year old film.
One helluva hangnail. |
Released
the same year, The Navigator has Keaton playing Rollo
Treadway, a wealthy young man trapped on-board an adrift ship along with Betsy (Kathryn McGuire), a snooty local girl he
just proposed to (she said no, of course). Unaccustomed to fending
for themselves, much of the humor comes from the two of them figuring
out how to survive. Along the way, Keaton must deal with swordfish, a
leaky ship and a tribe of cannibals. Though not as story-driven or
technically impressive as Sherlock Jr., the episodic nature of
The Navigator lends itself to some gags that are as funny as
anything in Keaton’s filmography (the scene where he’s fleeing
from a small cannon tied to his ankle is my personal favorite).
Both
films have been given an impressive restoration, each with brand new
music scores by Timothy Brock (Sherlock Jr.) and Robert Israel
(The Navigator). As
a matter of personal preference, this one isn’t quite as
indispensable as Volume 1, if only because I consider The
General to be Keaton’s crowning achievement. Still, these
features are both great examples of a legend at the height of his
comic powers, making The Buster Keaton Collection Volume 2
another fine addition to any classic film library.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES
- “Buster Keaton: The Great Stone Face”; “Buster Keaton:
The Comedian” (Brief testimonials from many of the same actors,
critics & filmmakers who contributed to Peter Bogdanovich’s
recent documentary, The Great Buster)
RESTORATION
TRAILERS FOR EACH FILM
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEE-OW! LIKE TAUNTING A MOUSE TO DEATH.
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