Review of Sherlock Jr. (1924) by Pascal V — 29 May 2010

Sherlock Jr (1924).

I have a great affinity towards Buster Keaton, I always have. But as a child it's typical that as far as silent actors go, Charlie Chaplin becomes the more familiar face, his pranks more recognizable when parodied by the Looney Toon troop. But something about the little bug eyed bastard (Keaton) and his hat just tug at my interests, pulling me in to both think and enjoy. No exception here, this movie has so much of the schtick and play we come to expect from the classic slapstick artists in its short 44 minute run time that we tend to lose sight of its brilliance. But in a way, Keaton did more than just bring us a few gags, he created arguably one of the first surrealist films, right up there with "The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari".

The transition from the projector booth into the screen itself is one of the most effective and amazing comedy spectacles ever put into a movie (you've likely seen it done wrong in "Last Action Hero"). It's not necessarily laugh out loud funny, but it's mind blowing to think that in such an early age of film, they had the aparatus and the stones to do this in a film. In a scene that has Keaton opening up an entire vault to get to his door, we come to realize the film does not have to have a consistent landscape or sense of identity. A whole movie could change in one cut.

This is a strange and thoughtful film that only Keaton could make work. It also has some of those memorable images we see over and over again now (like Keaton following his rival's every step, literally shadowing him).

The story of Keaton imagining himself as the detective and then coming back in to reality to reclaim the woman of his dreams is sweet - the plot and visuals are combined masterfully.

Ultimately, Keaton is the best silent comedian. I stand by this and hope films like the "The General" are remastered for todays youth. This is a relatively short feature and more accessible, more funny. I just can't imagine how Keaton came up with all of this, having directed and performed in it.

This is a film about film, exploiting as much as it can from the medium and giving us all the dirty details in between.