Review of Seven Chances (1925) by Willie J — 08 Apr 2013

Certainly not the best of Buster Keaton's films I've seen but that doesn't mean it isn't excellent and funny, because it is. The film saves all the physical comedy for the last 20 minutes and its climactic chase sequence, so it can be a little "harder" to enjoy.

There are certainly some funny moments and watching Buster's character trying, and failing miserably, to find a woman, any woman, to marry him so he can inherit $7 million. Of course the film does tell a good love story because Jimmie doesn't want to marry anybody except the woman he loves, but the the threat of going to prison, which he will if he can't come up with the money, forces him into this situation.

Of course things escalate because Jimmie's business partner puts an ad out in the newspaper revealing Jimmie's information to the entire town and how he needs to be married to get the money. This, of course, brings out EVERY woman in the town and their chase of Buster Keaton is the highlight of the film.

It's an extended sequence that lasts, maybe, the last 20 minutes of the film and it is incredible. Definitely the best on-foot chase sequence I've ever seen. It's hilarious, full of great stunts and definitely very inventive.

Buster Keaton definitely did not fuck about when it came to creating stunts. Again, the last 20 minutes of the film were absolutely tremendous and makes the entire film worth watching. I did think there was also a lot of ugly racism in the film that certainly put a damper on things.

There were at least three instances of blackface. There was also this one scene, when Buster's searching for a woman, where he sees a woman from behind and walks up to her and sees that she's black, really a white woman in blackface, and he runs away, as if scared.

I suppose it was a sign of the times, but it doesn't make it any less offensive. Regardless, even with the racism and the "slow" set-up, it really isn't it's just that all the slapstick is left for the climax, I found this to be a great and entertaining movie.

The chase sequence is some of Buster's best work, so I'd definitely recommend this if you're a Keaton fan.