Customer Reviews

Arbuckle & Keaton 1 [VHS]

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Kino Video has done us a great favor by releasing Volumes One and Two of the Arbuckle-Keaton two-reel comedies made from 1917 to 1920 for Paramount. These are digital transfers made from 35-mm stock, and the best exhibit an amazing high fidelity image for such early film. Titles are so clear and sharp they appear to be faithful recreations of the orginals. The sound track is an excellent stereo orchestral score recorded in 2001 by the Alloy Orchestra. Unobtrusive sound effects add to the pleasure of an excellent overall presentation.

Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle was at the height of his fame when he left Mack Sennett in late 1916 to join Joseph Schenck at Paramount and gain artistic control of his comedies. He was second only to Chaplin in world wide appeal. His talent and humanity are apparent in every scene. But I suspect most folks will want these films as the earliest motion images of Buster Keaton, starting at age 21. The ten films in Volumes One and Two represent the best of the surviving two-reelers of the approximate fifteen that Arbuckle and Keaton made together.

The very first film, Butcher Boy, 1917, begins Volume One and the last film, Keaton's favorite of the series, The Garage, 1920, ends Volume Two. Each of the films is a gem, such as Back Stage, 1919, in which Keaton, returned from a year in Europe in WW I, shows many of his vaudeville routines.

Arbuckle and Keaton had high regard for each other, and while Arbuckle's fame faded while Keaton's rose, they stayed in close touch with each other until Arbuckle's death in 1933.

I suppose watching silent film is an acquired taste. Silent drama, for example, is usually pretty theatrical and agonizing. But as James Agee so eloquently argued in 1949 in "Comedy's Greatest Era," silent comedies are unsurpassed for genuine belly laughs. These are MOVIES, after all. The comedy comes from pantomime and MOTION. In my view, it's what movies are supposed to do!

These early films have a fairly static camera. The actors cavort in front of it with stage scenery in the backdrop. Nonetheless, the gags are wonderful to behold. For film history buffs, this is about the most watchable early stuff there is. And you can see the genesis of many of the routines that graced the best of silent comedy only a few years later. (I was unaware, for example, that Keaton's most famous stunt, the falling house facade stunt in Steamboat Bill, Jr, 1928, was preceded by a similar scene with Fatty Arbuckle in Back Stage, 1919!)

Hats off to Kino for, as usual, bringing such excellent transfers to market. Both Volumes are highly recommended.

These shorts, made between 1917 and 1919, reveal optimism on the faces of Buster and Fatty before the future troubles of scandal, alcoholism, and domestic problems altered their brilliant careers.

Lucky for us, Kino has released these 80+ year-old films on DVD, which enhances the clarity over what has previously been released on VHS. In addition, we get to hear an excellent soundtrack that accompanies the 2-reelers. Previously released versions of these films were accompanied by borrowed circus music that sounded like it was recorded in the 1950s. The Alloy Orchestra does a great job with music and sound effects that are in sync with the frolicking activity in the scenes.

THE BELL BOY (1918): Fatty and Buster are the bellhops and Al St. John is the bullying desk clerk at a hotel the three are operating. This 2-reeler contains anti-German WW1 references, such as refusing to serve German food and smushing a barber chair customer with shaving cream after Fatty has dressed him up as Kaiser Wilhelm. "The Bell Boy" also contains an appearance by Buster's father Joe, and the 2 do a variation of the act they staged in vaudeville. Buster later borrowed a lot from this film to enhance his 1937 short "Love Nest on Wheels".

THE BUTCHER BOY (1917): The plot to this 2-reeler involves Fatty and Al St. John as general store employees who rival for the hand of the store owner's daughter. This being Buster's very first film appearance, Fatty cast him as an accessory in the role of an anonymous customer in the store. In the 2nd reel, Buster has (unexplainably) become a pal to Al St. John, by helping Al sabotage Fatty's efforts to woo the gal at the boarding school she is attending.

OUT WEST (1918): Fatty plays a hobo who stumbles into a saloon and is hired by Buster to fill the vacancy of bartender, after Al, as the villain, has murdered the previous one. Some eye-popping politically incorrect humor is milked in this 2-reeler, but I won't get into that.

MOONSHINE (1918): Al St. John plays a scary-looking hillbilly who attacks much-hated revenue agents Buster and Fatty after they invade his 'still'-infested territory. Some really nice gags pop out of this 2-reeler, my favorite being Buster and Al behaving like monkeys in a tree. Buster must have had a photographic memory of the chimp acts he observed in the wings of the vaudeville stage because his expertise in mimicking them shows itself again perfectly in his future 2-reeler "The Playhouse" (1921). Unlike the other 4 films on this DVD, the quality of this print of "Moonshine" is unclear and murky. I suppose it is the only available copy Kino could find.

THE HAYSEED (1919): Buster and Fatty are employees at a general store, unintentionally revealed as being on a street in Culver City, a provincial village outside of L.A. at that time (a sign on the exterior of the store reads "Don't Go To The City To Be Cheated - Buy Here"). Also cast as the villain is John Coogan, who performs some specialized dancing that our guys poke fun at. It's this specialized dancing that John taught to his little son Jackie that eventually caught the eye of Charlie Chaplin, who put the talented boy under contract and sent him on to mega-stardom in the 1920s. "The Hayseed" is not considered one of their classics, but it contains my all-time favorite Buster and Fatty gag. In this dry, ahead-of-its-time scene, Buster feeds Fatty a batch of salted onions to regain the strength of his singing voice. After giving a tear-jerking performance, Fatty is wrongfully accused of stealing $300. No one will believe his pleas of innocence because they cannot stand the reeking stench emitting from his mouth, and so then turn their backs to him in revulsion. The accompanying sound effects made by the Alloy Orchestra make it even more of a howl.

The Alloy Orchestra has no idea what they're doing - the idea is to support the film, not compete with it. The film is the star after all - in the future I would never buy a silent film on video that has the Alloy Orchestra behind it, it's the quickest way I know to obtain a massive headache.

This collection of 5 Arbuckle-Keaton 2 reelers spans virtually their entire period of partnership, from The Butcher Boy in early 1917, to The Hayseed, their next-to-last film, late in 1919. Most of the films are closer in style to the Keystone comedies from which Arbuckle emerged as a star. This style is comprised primarily of outrageous situations, sometimes (as in Out West) a parody of another movie style, and chaotic chase and/or fight scenes involving Arbuckle and his supporting cast, Keaton, Al St. John and female co-stars such as Alice Lake. To the modern viewer these movies may be too outlandish, even offensive, to be funny, as racial, ethnic, gay, and gender humor are often sprinkled into the mix.

The best of the collection are The Butcher Boy and The Hayseed. The first is important for historical reasons as Keaton's entry into movies, but also it showcases some of the best of Arbuckle's style of humor. Fatty plays a butcher in a general store, which allows him to display his dexterity with knives. He also shows that despite his girth, he can hold his own at running, kicking, throwing and falling. Fatty also derives humor from the well-worn trick of dressing in drag, as he infiltrates a boarding school to rescue his true love. Buster here, and in the other films, is mostly on the sidelines helping Fatty get out of a jam or win a girl. Despite the over-the-top chaos, there is a lightness and spontaneity among the actors that resembles a vaudeville tumbling act, and there are unforgettable moments, as when Buster's real-life father Joe steals a scene with his talented son in The Bell Boy.

The Hayseed is the funniest of the volume; unlike the others, it more closely resembles Keaton's brand of humor (the writer was Jean Havez, who was to work on many of Buster's best films). Virtually all of the humor is purely visual, as when Buster oils the horse's legs, plays traffic cop with a broom in the general store, and Fatty, playing a mail carrier, tears up a package to make it fit into a mail box. Some of the humor is almost surreal, as when Fatty pauses to perform a burial ceremony for an empty whiskey bottle. Fatty's battle with his rival for the heart of the girl (Molly Maguire) also has funny and almost tender moments, as when Fatty includes a pickle the size of Molly's finger in a mail order for an engagement ring. (Another funny surprise here is John Cougan, aptly playing the corrupt but nerdish rival for Molly's affections.) The dance scene at the climax has very funny moments, beginning with some acrobatics as Buster and Fatty trade off tossing a willing dance partner across the room at each other, and ending with a controlled chase scene, as Luke the dog chases the exposed rival off into the sunset.

This collection suffers from a uninspiring musical background score, as well as a lot of dated slapstick humor that might be unappealing to modern tastes. But Buster and Fatty team for enough classical comedy moments to make this volume worth owning.

Kino Video probably issued the DVD Arbuckle and Keaton, Vol. 1 based on the strength of Kino's earlier, mostly flawless Buster Keaton compilations. And in spite of this DVD touting some short subjects of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle at the height of his fame, Keaton will probably remain the main draw of this DVD.

The story goes that in the late 1910's, Arbuckle was America's second-most-popular comedian, bowing only to Charlie Chaplin. When Arbuckle met up with Buster Keaton, he recognized Keaton's comedy strengths and debuted Keaton in his movies as an ever-reliable sidekick.

Yet based on the evidence shown here, Keaton in even secondary roles was someone to keep an eye on, while Arbuckle's appeal has assuredly diminished over the years. Unlike Chaplin or the solo Keaton, Arbuckle has little of a persona to fall back on. One can imagine how Chaplin's Little Tramp or Keaton's Stone Face would react in a given situation. But Arbuckle seems to change his stripes whenever any gag, in or out of character, presents itself. About the only persona that emerges for Fatty is that he's...well, fat.

And the plotlines, concocted mostly by Arbuckle, are just as arbitrary as his character. The short The Bellboy (1918) begins in a hotel and segues strangely to a bank that's being robbed. The Butcher Boy (1917, and Keaton's film debut) begins in a grocery store and switches to a girls' boarding school.

But unlike Arbuckle, who all but winks at the audience in an attempt to win their love, Keaton plays straight no matter the situation and scores points all around. Out West (1918) presents Keaton as a barroom gunslinger, and just by force of personality, he makes you believe it. And heaven knows, nobody could take a fall or elaborate a simple gag better than Buster.

Arbuckle's hoary stories are not helped by racist humor (in Out West, barroom bullies shoot at the feet of a frightened black man, and Arbuckle goes right along with the bullies) and by musical accompaniment (by "The Alloy Orchestra," according to liner notes) that rates as Kino's worst.

Anyone with an interest in Buster Keaton's humble film origins might want to give this a look. Silent-film buffs might be drawn in initially but will most likely lose interest about halfway through.

The two Arbuckle and Keaton DVDs are both essential viewing for silent film fans. I had heard of Roscoe Arbuckle before I watched these films, but had never seen any of his work. It was a delight then to discover how good a comic he was. Arbuckle is an energetic comedian throwing himself about with abandon. He is a sensation when dressed as a woman and surprisingly convincing. Many of the gags he performs are inspired, like when he decides to put out a raging fire by casually and slowly throwing one cup of water on it then equally casually going to fill up the cup again. Arbuckle's gags have been developed and imitated by loads of subsequent comedians and it becomes clear when watching these films that he has been a major influence on film comedy. Sometimes it is just the little bits of comic business that Arbuckle performs which stand out. His one handed cigarette rolling trick is justifiably a legend.

These films are Arbuckle films. He is the star and the director. However that doesn't mean that he is always the focus of attention. He is very generous with the amount of time he gives to his co-stars. The most famous of his co-stars is, of course, Buster Keaton. Keaton was always grateful to Arbuckle for the start he was given in movies and Arbuckle deserves a lot of credit for seeing the potential in the young Buster. Keaton as supporting player is somewhat different from Keaton as star. For one thing he often smiles and laughs. Keaton fans will not be disappointed by his appearances in these early films. He is already a major talent and if anything more athletic than his later self. Watching Buster constantly fall over in all kinds of ways is to marvel at how he could remain healthy. Arbuckle's other co-star is Al St. John. St. John plays the villain in most of these films. He pulls a variety of faces and succeeds in looking creepy and sly while remaining very funny. It is as much fun watching Al as it is Roscoe and Buster and that is saying something.

The prints of these films are not perfect. All of them show some damage whether it be scratches or small pieces of film missing due to edits and splices. When compared with some other films from this period, e.g. Chaplin's Mutuals, it must be said, that these Arbuckle films at times look pretty bad. This is not the fault of Kino; it's just the fact that for whatever reason these films have through the years become damaged. That said, these films are all perfectly watchable. The action can be seen clearly and the images are for the most part sharp and detailed. These are very rare films and I'm just glad to be able to see them at all. All of these two reelers are accompanied by music from The Alloy Orchestra. This is a modern style of music and includes sound effects some of which work well, others which work less well. I would have preferred a more traditional style of music fitting in with the period of the films, but after listening to the music a few times I have come to appreciate it and find myself liking it more and more. But nothing should put anyone off seeing these films whether it be the music the prints or even the opinion of a reviewer.

To give some additional historical perspective on these films and their current condition, lets first examine the history of Fatty Arbuckle.

In 1921, Arbuckle was charged with the rape and murder of Virgina Rappe. These charges were false, but they ruined his career. His films were banned, and it appears that most copies were destroyed. That makes these dvds even more amazing, as the survival of these prints, as poor as some of the are, is almost by pure chance, and a slim chance at that.

These five films are very funny.
There are moments in "The Bell Boy" that defy description.
"The Butcher Boy" is Keaton's first foray into film, which is perhaps all that makes this film essential, as the rest, while amusing, is not the funniest of this group.
"Out West", despite, some very aged racial material, is very irreverent, and very funny. Buster, as the peace-keeper of the saloon, keeps kicking the bodies of deaceased bad guys into a trap door in the saloon floor. This fiulm has perhaps the worst print of all five.
"Moonshine" is truly bizarre, surrealistic humor before surrealism was hip. I wonder what audiences thought of this one.
"The Hayseed" is pretty good, more country bumpkin humor.

If you are a Keaton fan, you need to own this dvd. Now.

I think the Alloy Orchestra does a bang up job and hold their own next to Roscoe, Buster and Al! I have many silent films in my collection with more traditional soundtracks that I like a lot too. But this is a very nice change (and not annoying or distracting...goes with the movies) They supply more mood and actual sound effects all produced through strange "found" instruments as well as traditional...normally not something I might like....but BOY! Do they know their craft!!! They have won all kinds of awards for their work on silent films! Buy this dvd
set with confidence!

...it would deserve 10 if the music had been composed by somebody who liked Buster Keaton and not some dim-wit specialized in background sounds (or, better say noises) for Pachinko-saloons. But, once the sound set on mute (or any rag-time of your choice), even with some very dated materials, gags like the cleaning of the phone-booth window or stunts as the one from barber to restaurant should be able to convert anybody to a Keaton's fan, even if one didn't know about him before. Which would be a pity, since, although Chaplin was a master of work-polishing, Buster Keaton was (in my judgement) a top-master in inventiveness; as well, due to his very early training, I never saw anybody performing stunts and somersaults the way he could do it: just watch "The Rairodder", and think how many 70 years old could do the same.

By the way, I only noticed the pictures' imperfections after muting the sound

Most silent comedies, aside from Keaton's classics, Harold Lloyd, Our Gang, and some of Chaplin do not hold up very well, and these are no exception.

Buster and Fatty make a good team in the "Butcher Boy" and "The Bellboy." Both of these films being with some rather amusing gags, but go haywire with wild plot twists near the end.

And then there's OUT WEST. For the most part, mighty funny stuff, especially when Fatty and Buster team up to stop the bad guy from molesting the salvation army lady. However, there is a horrible scene where a Black Man (Ernie Morrison Sr, father of Sunshine Sammy of the Our Gang silents) is made to dance as some cruel cowboys (and Fatty Himself!) shoot as his feet until the Salvation army lady comes to his rescue and shames Fatty and the cowboys. The fact that this was a common practice in the days when Black men were lynched kills any humor whatsoever in this scene. Fortuntely, Ernie Morrison Sr. (and Jr.) were to play less degrading roles at the Hal Roach studios.
That aside, worth viewing for historical purposes.