Man, they really knew how to make a movie 80 years ago.
Yes, you need to have a certain temperament to sit through a silent movie. But they were shorter than today’s blockbusters, so give this one 44 minutes of your life and see what you think. The lengths that Buster Keaton is willing to go for a gag are, quite literally, insane; the Jackie Chan of his day, he did all of his own stunts, and in 1924 all of the stunts were real. IMDB reports that he nearly broke his neck in one scene.
Perhaps parts of the plotline don’t resonate eight decades later, but the slapstick comedy will still make you laugh out loud.
I’ve always loved this one. It’s funny, it’s sweetly innocent in a way that only movies of that period can be, and it’s technically stunning – the movie-screen bit and the part when he leaps “through” his assistant (dressed as an old lady) are amazing technical achievements.