Review of The Saphead (1920) by Benjamin W — 01 Oct 2008

I've always liked Buster Keaton but for me, he's always lived in the shadow of Chaplin. To be fair, I grew up watching Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy when I was very young and I didn't discover Keaton until I was in college.

By the time I did watch Buster Keaton's films, I found myself always comparing them to Chaplin's work and always viewing Keaton as a weaker carbon copy of Chaplin. This film is strictly for film historians and lovers of silent cinema.

I know many film lovers who can barely sit through 2 minutes of a silent movie and thats totally understandable. Silent cinema is an acquired taste that many don't acquire. This film, like almost all silents, lacks in plot, but it more than makes up for it in watching Keaton do his physical comedy.

Some of the shit he and Chaplin used to do is stuff that no insurance company would allow any star to pull off these days. These were the days before stunt people so these actors did all their own stunts.

There are scenes where you marvel at how Keaton was able to avoid paralyzing himself. So if you like silent comedy or you're simply someone who's into film history, this may be worth your while.