Buster Keaton: Three Films Blu-ray
'Buster Keaton: Three Films' (1924 - 1928) Eureka Masters of Cinema 3-Disc Blu-ray | 4K restorations | Silent w/ English intertitles
Between 1920 and 1929, Buster Keaton created a peerless run of feature films that established him as “arguably the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies”. Collected here are three key films from that era.
Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
A film projectionist (and amateur detective) offers to solve the case of a missing watch, but is instead framed for the crime himself. Desperate to clear his name, the projectionist dreams of being the great Sherlock Jr., and in one of cinemas most iconic sequences, literally steps into the screen to bring his fantasies to life.
The General (Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton, 1926)
When union spies steal his locomotive (along with his girlfriend), a plucky railway engineer pursues them doggedly across enemy lines. Containing one of the most memorable chase sequences in the history of filmmaking, The General is widely considered to be Keaton’s masterpiece.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Charles Reisner, 1928)
A steamboat captain receives a telegram informing him that his son who he has not seen for many years will be coming to visit. Eagerly expecting a strapping young lad who will help him compete with his arch-rival, he is disappointed with the effete progeny that instead shows up. Best remembered for its climactic cyclone sequence in which Keaton performs a number of death-defying stunts whilst an entire town is destroyed around him, Steamboat Bill, Jr. was Buster Keaton’s last independent silent comedy and also one of his finest.
Special features include:
- Original scores by Carl Davis (The General and Steamboat Bill)
- Audio commentary on Sherlock, Jr. by film historian David Kalat
- Buster Keaton: The Genius Crushed by Hollywood (52 mins) - a documentary on Keaton and his struggles working within the Hollywood studio system
- Video interview with author Peter Kramer
- Buster Keaton on Wagon Train (58 mins) - an audio recording of a then 63-year old Buster Keaton in conversation with television writer Bill Cox
- The General introductions by Orson Welles and Gloria Swanson
- Video essay on the making of Steamboat Bill, Jr.
- 24-page book featuring essay by Philip Kemp; full credits for each film and rare archival imagery
