This time, it was 1921's The Play House, 24 minutes in length:
An enjoyable Keaton short--with a regrettable element. It fit my schedule best to view something not feature length last night, and as someone I follow on Letterboxd recently gave a review, might as well do likewise. The most important detail to note right away: not only is there a scene featuring blackface, it was Keaton himself who put on the shoe polish. The Criterion Channel (where this was viewed) at least warned everyone this would be an element. This horribly dated element proves to be a minor and brief element anyhow.
Then again, this starts off with a scene at a variety show where Buster plays every performer AND every person in the audience… man, woman, or child. According to Wikipedia, Keaton had an ankle injury at the time so the humor here isn’t about pratfalls but instead used cinematic tricks & other techniques to entertain. As he was such a talented performer, The Play House still entertains. That aforementioned Wikipedia article also elaborates upon how we see nine versions of Buster on screen at the same time; it does impress for a product over a century old.
Anyhow, that variety show only is the first few minutes of The Play House. The rest won’t be revealed, except that this goes in unexpected directions and is the strangest product I’ve seen Keaton in. After all, one gag is only fully understood if you know that the Zouave were a class of light infantry regiments that were all over the world but were predominately in North Africa. It’s a curio for Buster fans and as long as you know it doesn’t have any bonkers stunts or pratfalls, you can still be satisfied.
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