MovieChat Forums > The General (1927) Discussion > Favorite Keaton Movie

Favorite Keaton Movie

posted 21 years ago by govan1980-1
20 replies | jump to latest

I thought I'd start a thread for the Keaton fans out there.

Favorite Buter Movie:

For me it would have to be The General just ahead of Sherlock Jr. I could watch this movie once a day and the gags would never get old. It's also a love story, an thrilling action movie, and an extremely accurate civil war epic. One of the top 10 films ever made.

I know the conventional wisdom is that General is the best, but I could also understand people who went for Sherlock Jr., Our Hospitality, The Navigator, Steamboat Bill Jr., or The Cameraman as I feel these represent his A-List. His B-List isn't too shabby either.

Favorite Buster Short

Cops is often named as his best short but for me it's The Playhouse. It not only contains the to-this-day amazing effect of having eight or so Busters perform on stage at once (He also plays everyone else at the theater-take that Multiplicity) but it also contains, among other great gags, Buster's brilliant portrayal of a monkey. More laughs than most feature length comedies in twenty or so minutes.

Favorite Buster Moment

How can one choose? I'll just name the one that never fails to make me laugh. It comes in The General when through a perfect escalation of logic Buster has managed to point as loaded canon at his train with the fuse lit and Buster in a panic throws a piece of wood at it. It's a small moment, almost a throwaway gag, but it never fails to reduce me to fits of laughter.

[–] v_goggo 20 years ago

My favorite Buster Keaton movie is The General. I like how accurately he recreated the Civil War. The film looks has the look of pictures taken during the Civil War by Matthew Brady. This is not coincidence,considering Keaton studied Brady's pictures. I think it may be my favorite film of all time.
Sherlock Jr. and Our Hospitality come in pretty close as well.
My favorite Buster Keaton short is One Week. I particularly like the scene in which Buster's wife is in the bath, and takes notice of the cameraman, so she has him cover the lens with his hand.

[–] comedian4444 20 years ago

I just wanted to comment that I though it was weird that govan1980 and I have the same favorite Buster moment. It's a small moment that usually goes unnoticed but for some reason whenever I think of that part it makes me laugh.

[–] govan1980-1 20 years ago

For Comedian4444:

I finally convinced a friend of mine to watch The General the other day. He enjoyed the whole thing but, without my prompting, the gag with the canon hit him like a ton of bricks. He pointed it out after the film was done.

I think it just shows what a strength Buster had for the perfect escalation of comic events.

[–] comedian4444 20 years ago

So true, as much as I love CHarlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton just has this timeless humor that may never get un-funny.

[–] Damfino1895 20 years ago

Sherlock Jr is my favourite Keaton movie, it's just so clever with some awesome stunts and camera tricks. I love the scene where he jumps through the window to escape the crooks to be instantly disguised as an old woman, I watched in slo mo on DVD and it is a simple case of perfect timing, something Buster had in shed loads. Favourite short? Wow, where do I start? The Scarecrow, inventive and ingenious! One of my favourite moments is in the Haunted House where, in escaping from the posse he runs towards the camera and at the last moment mugs it, superb.

[–] jhodgso1 20 years ago

i'll have to go with 'college.' most people don't love it, but i must say that i enjoy the humor and the stunts...the only stunt he didn't do on his own was the pole vault in the end (he hired an olympic athlete to do it and regretted doing so).

[–] myersangl7 20 years ago

I loved 'College' as well but I have to sat the General really showed off Buter's physical and comedic talents... Awesome movie!

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[–] pyro-15 19 years ago

My Favorite Keaton movie is Sherlock Jr. followed closely by the General. My favorite buster short is Cops, but I have a sweet spot for The Electric House and Hard Luck.

[–] dharvey88 19 years ago

There are a couple of shots when Keaton uses his trains as easy as modern day filmmakers use automobiles. Most notably, When he skids the the locomotives on the tracks and jumps out to take care of something. I think it's the most amazing use of trains in the history of film.

[–] tmf_scipio 19 years ago

I would have to say that my favorite of his is the General. I once watched it 3 times in a row, each time I found something different. I would also put Seven Chances right up at the top of the list too.

As for his shorts, I like Neighbors the best. I also like his movies he did with Rosco Arbuckle, especially his 1st screen appearance in The Butcherboy.

What a truly brilliant actor.

When Urinating, Chuck Norris is capable of welding Titanium.

[–] puzzlejason 19 years ago

Movie: the General
Short: The scarcrow or Go West
favorite Moment: Idon't know the movie, but when he did a summer sault while holding a cup of tea and didn't spill any because he twisted his arm so that the cup was always facing up. I've tried that, and I have the stains on my shirt to prove it.

[–] imogensara_smith 19 years ago

Feature: The General

Short: The Goat (though The Playhouse, One Week, The Boat and The Scarecrow are right up there)

Moment: I can’t possibly name a single favorite moment, so I’ll just name my favorite moments from my favorite films. From The Goat, when he sits on the cowcatcher of a train that hurtles towards the camera until his face fills the screen. And from The General, a related moment, when he sits on the crossbar of the train’s wheels and is so lost in thought he doesn’t notice when the train starts moving, carrying him up and down. Beautiful.

Incidentally, the movie where he does a somersault while holding a cup of coffee is College.

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[–] vesperianne 19 years ago

Hard Luck is the best of Keaton's movies despite the last 3 minutes being missing from the film. The last still was thankfully saved, showing what was Keaton at his funniest.

[–] pyro-15 19 years ago

Hard Luck has been fully restored and the last couple minutes have been found. You can find it on the Keaton Plus disc included in Kino's The Art of Buster Keaton box set.

[–] dr_remlaw 18 years ago

Favourite Buster Movie: Gotta be The General, because it's probably the most technically perfect and funniest of all the silent movies I've seen.

Haven't seen enough of his shorts, but I think I'll mention a Fatty Arbuckle short called "His Wedding Night" which co-stars Buster.

And, for my favourite Buster moment, I think I have to go with the conventional wisdom as it were and cite the absolutely hilarious gag in Steamboat Bill, Jr. where the house falls on him but he escapes unscathed due to the awesome power of an open window

The doctor has spoken.

[–] supernan-1 18 years ago

My favourite Buster Keaon feature is probably Sherlock Jr. (despite the Club Foot Orchestra soundtrack). Everything in that movie is just so clever! I really can't get over how he plays with perspective, like jumping into the movie screen, stepping through what we thought was a mirror, driving the motorcycle through that bizarre truck, etc. I like to imagine that he had fun making that film. College and The General, I should mention, are in a close second.
My favourite Buster short is REALLY tough to determine. The Scarecrow wins, I think, because it has so many awesome gags. From the crazy house at the beginning, to the chase with the dog, to his scarecrow imitation, to the part at the end where he walks across the creek on his hands, I'm in stitches the whole time. I do have to give a shout-out to One Week, Hard Luck, and The High Sign, too. They're all very good.
My favourite Keaton moment is easy, though I don't think I can describe it quite right. It's in the General, when the engine Buster's driving picks up the first car that the enemies leave behind. He looks out the window, and sees this train car that seems to have come from nowhere. After blinking in disbelief for a second, he sort of sighs resignedly. Something about that sigh, the way he grudgingly accepts this situation that makes absolutely no sense to him, made me kill myself laughing the first time I saw it. That was the first Buster Keaton movie I ever saw, and that moment made me resolve to see more of his films.
Thanks for the chance to look back on Buster at his best. Thinking about my answer and reading other people's answers really brightened my day.