- Actors: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Ward Crane, Frederick Vroom, Joseph Keaton
- Directors: Buster Keaton, Donald Crisp
- Writers: Jean C. Havez, Joseph A. Mitchell, Clyde Bruckman
- Producers: Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck
- Disc Format: NTSC
- Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Not RatedNR
- DVD Release Date: July 9, 2019
- Run Time: 111 minutes
Buster Keaton’s
most remembered and technically accomplished feature films is, without a doubt,
The General (featured in Volume 1 of
the Buster Keaton Collection). If we are talking about innovation within the
medium, however, few films have contributed quite so much as the accomplished Sherlock Jr., which is featured in
Volume 2 alongside The Navigator,
which displays Keaton’s endless creativity with slapstick and comedic timing. Sherlock Jr. is not only a great early
slapstick film, it is one of the first films to really expand on the potential
discovered in Georges Méliès’ ‘magic show’ shorts.
Sherlock Jr. features a movie
projectionist who falls asleep and dreams that he is able to enter the movie screen.
As the movie changes around him and he is forced to adjust to each new setting
(his place in/on the screen never changing), it is one of the first great
examples of utilizing match cuts for comedic purposes. And if subtlety isn’t as
impressive to you, this is also the film that he fractured his neck on,
speaking to extremes he was willing to go to in order to achieve a stunt.
This loveable
loser projectionist is vying for the attention of a pretty girl (played by
Kathryn McGuire), or ‘The Girl,’ as the credits list her. The
projectionist/Buster’s advances are thwarted when ‘The Local Sheik’ (Ward
Crane) frames him for theft so he can pursue ‘The Girl’ without competition. In
his dreams, the projectionist imagines himself a cunning detective, able to solve
the crime and clear his own name while dispatching the villain. Proving that
the female characters didn’t always need to be saved, ‘The Girl’ solves the
crime on her own in the real world.
Keeping the
feminist theme continuing, The Navigator
opens with Rollo Treadway (Keaton) proposing to his girlfriend, Betsy O’Brien
(McGuire, again), only to have her turn him down in favor of independence.
Angered, Rollo decides to sail away on a trip that was meant to be a honeymoon
of sorts, only to discover that he has accidentally boarded a ship owned by
Betsy’s father. After he is captured by spies, the ship is sent out to sea with
only Betsy and Rollo onboard, leading to a hilariously timed bit where they are
aware of each other’s presence, but can’t seem to find each other on the
massive boat. What follows after that could be the precursor to the screwball
comedy, as well as featuring the best of slapstick and Keaton’s ability to
constantly innovate as he made films. The under-water sequences alone are a technical
feat worth studying.
There is no
denying that these films are classics, but that is not a matter of debate when
they are re-released. The question becomes more about the quality of the
release, and expectations are even higher when they are on Blu-ray. Fans can
rest assured that at the very least, this version is an improvement from the
standard Kino release. The 4K restoration can’t fix everything from a film
nearly 100 years old, but this is definitely the best available presentation
thus far. All-new scores are also recorded for the presentation, but that is
all a matter of preference. Sometimes I prefer the older scores, even when the
quality of the film is not as impressive, though this version does the film
justice.
Included on the
same disc, these films together don’t leave a great deal of room for
supplementary material. The extras do include two restoration trailers for the
films, along with two behind-the-scenes featurettes. They are less than
five-minutes each, however, and basically just have a bunch of interviews with
people praising Keaton, as though he needs their validation. The restoration is
vastly more impressive than the extras.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 10/10
Historical
Significance: 10/10
Special Features: 2/10
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