Style2

The General (1926) Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 6:01 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 4 October 2007)

The great train chase would perhaps be a better and more suiting title for this movie. The movie is for most part set in a train engine and involved the Buster Keaton in the pursuit of another stolen train by the Union army, during the American Civil War.

You would think that a movie that's mostly set in a moving train engine would become tiresome after a while and jokes would start to repeat itself. But it's amazing all the stuff they came up with. What is it with Buster Keaton and trains? There also is one great long sequences involving a train in his earlier movie "Our Hospitality".

It's a really creative comedy, with always some surprising unexpected insane moments in it. It's way more than just some other slapstick routines. The movie also obviously caused more than most other silent comedy, made during the same era. As a matter of fact the movie actually features the single most expensive shot of the entire silent movie era in it.

Buster Keaton himself also once again performances all of his stunts. It aren't his biggest or most spectacular looking stunts but just as dangerous nevertheless.

The story was fun and interesting, also since it's partly based on true events during the Civil War. There of course aren't that many Civil War comedies in general, so in that regard this movie already is an original one. The set back of the movie enhances the story, that of course however does not form the most important aspect of the movie.

This was Buster Keaton's own personal favorite and it also really is one of his best movies!

9/10

Putting Pants on Philip (1927) Directed by Clyde Bruckman

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 7:52 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , ,




(Review originally written at 6 September 2006)

This is a Laurel & Hardy comedy short with some great and funny moments but overall the movie relies a bit too much on just one comical premise.

The comical premise this movie mostly relies on is very simple; Stan Laurel not wearing any pants. Laurel plays a Scottish naive young person who arrives in America in full kilt. For some reason he gets the center of attention because of this and his uncle played by Oliver Hardy thinks because of this that its time to put some pants on Philip.

Its humor is well executed but the main premise also gets a bit tiresome after a while. Although the movie definitely still has its comical great moments, it at the same time is also far from the best of the many Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts that are still around. The movie is simply too simple to be considered one of the greatest, although it definitely is most fine executed all, for most part.

Great good clean fun, just nothing too remarkable or memorable all.

7/10

Leave 'Em Laughing (1928) Directed by Clyde Bruckman

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 8:49 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 10 August 2006)

This movie certainly does justice to its title.

It takes a while for the movie to take shape and pace, after all, this is one of the earliest Laurel & Hardy movies, from the period when they obviously were still searching for the right style. However after the movie its slow ending the movie really starts to take pace and become interesting from the moment the two boys are at the dentist. The movie becomes a good old fashioned laugh fest from that point on.

The bits at the dentist were already great but the movie gets even better in the ending, when the boys are extremely high from the laughing gas they got exposed to at the dentist. They get into trouble with the police officer played by Edgar Kennedy, who tries to control the traffic but of course the seriously high boys keep messing things and traffic up with their car.

The movie consists out of some great slapstick moments and some hilarious comical situations. Also the very last scene is one to remember, also because of the fact that it's so totally random. It makes it all the more hilarious.

All in all this is a surprisingly good and entertaining Laurel & Hardy silent comedy short, especially when considering that this movie was from their begin-period.

8/10

The Finishing Touch (1928) Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Leo McCarey

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 2:16 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 27 March 2006)

"The Finishing Touch" is a mostly at one location set movie. Because of this the movie hasn't got to concentrate on the story but can concentrate on the slapstick moments and humor instead.

This time the boys are building an house. But of course everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. And instead of constructors they are are more slowly turning into demolition men.

This is a silent movie, so the movie entirely focuses and relies on its slapstick moments, rather than the dialog or storyline. So fans of simple slapstick humor will find plenty to enjoy in this Laurel & Hardy short.

I for one, however do not regard this movie as a totally successful one. Not all of the comical moments work out hilarious, at least not in the way they could have had and because of that the movie is entirely set on one location, the humor is just too much of the same at times.

Does have its moments but definitely not the best- and one of the more forgettable Laurel & Hardy silent shorts.

7/10

Call of the Cuckoo (1927) Directed by Clyde Bruckman

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 1:47 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 24 March 2006)

This is a fairly decent, typical Hal Roach slapstick comedy, which guest star's Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and James Finlayson as Asylum inmates.

Real main characters of the movie though are played by Max Davidson and Lillian Elliott and with Spec O'Donnell as their stupid looking son. Especially Spec O'Donnell is great in his role who carriers the brilliant name 'Love's Greatest Mistake' in the movie. Basically all he does in the movie is look stupid but he does this extremely good and because of that he is really fun to watch.

The movie has some typical slapstick moments that are most of the time fun to watch but never truly hilarious. The way it is brought to the screen is simply too outdated for todays standards, also compared to other slapstick comedies made from the same time period. Especially the editing is lacking. There lies the main problem of the movie; it's too lacking in it's humor and style.

It certainly does have its moments but it is no essential viewing for the fans of slapstick comedy from the '20's. Perhaps still only for some, for the fairly small Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and James Finlayson roles in the movie.

6/10
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Copyright © 2014 Boba_Fett1138's movie reviews
⬆
Top