Review of Convict 13 (1920) by John M — 12 Feb 2014
Breaking in for a promotion. Mistaken for an escaped prisoner, a golfer (Buster Keaton) finds himself in prison where he may be the only person able to prevent a mass break out. This is the first Keaton short where I did have a couple of issues, although none of that has to do with the quality of the short itself.
I wasn't watching a terribly high resolution print of this, but that's what you get when you're searching for things to watch on Youtube. Also, I wasn't the biggest fan of the score itself, but again, that might just be an issue with the print I was watching, as I know plenty of these silent movies feature alternate piano scores.
That said, there are a number of clever ideas featured here, and this is in every way a precursor to Keaton's later works; you can totally see elements of Cops and Seven Chances featured prominently here.
It really picks up when they stop playing golf and get to the prison, and it has a very striking visual finale. All in all, this is another solid entry in my Keaton education.
This review of Convict 13 (1920) was written by John M on 12 Feb 2014.
Convict 13 has generally received positive reviews.
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