It truly is a shame that the silent era of film is increasingly becoming the domain of film students and critics alone. While most people have no doubt heard of Charlie Chaplin and are at least aware that there was a time when films didn’t have sound, the general public seems to have completely dismissed this era as boring and not worthy of their time.

True, watching one of D.W. Griffith’s three hour epics can be a bit tedious, but when approached with the right mindset, silent film can be quite rewarding. I never walk away from a silent film without feeling better for having viewed it.

Besides the well-known and loved Chaplin, perhaps one of the best ambassadors to silent film is Buster Keaton. His physical comedy is capable of entertaining even today’s audiences. In a time where computer graphics have numbed our brains to the dangers involved in doing stunts, Buster’s films are a refreshing portrait of a genius at work.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=LWEo4M8nZQQ]

It is important to remember when watching a Buster Keaton film that he did almost all of the stunts himself. These aren’t simply jumps out of a window onto a mattress or pretending to get hit in the face and falling down some stairs. No, we’re talking about much more than that. The level of sophistication present along with the sheer level of danger involved hasn’t been equaled in film since.

1924’s Sherlock Jr is an example of Buster at his best. Fortunately, someone has uploaded the entire film to youtube, enabling me to share it with you here. It’s only 40 minutes long, so you can get a good feel for Buster’s work without too much of an investment in time.

The score presented in this version was written and recorded in 1993. It is distracting and completely inappropriate. I highly recommend either turning the sound off or replacing it with something of your liking.

Pay special attention to the scene at the pool table. How is he able to pull that off? Simply amazing.

A bit of trivia for you. Buster broke some vertebrae in his neck while filming this movie. It happens when the water pours down on him at the railroad tracks. They’ve left it in the film, and you can see him walking away without problem. He would go on to suffer from severe headaches for the rest of his life.

Part 1 (8.52 min)

Part 2 (9.37 min)

Part 3 (9.56 min)

Part 4 (6.55 min)

Part 5 (8.33 min)

For more about Buster, check out the wonderfully constructed site by The Damfinos: The International Buster Keaton Society. Be sure to pay a visit to their shop. I just bought a killer Soviet poster for The General….