DVD ADDICT
Watching silent comedies made by the master directors can remind you of a talent that has largely been lost in modern movies: making every nanosecond count.
SEVEN CHANCES (USA, 1925, b&w with tinting) Directed by Buster Keaton and starring Buster Keaton, Ruth Dwyer, T Roy Barnes, Snitz Edwards, and Frances Raymond. 1.33:1, 56 min. English intertitles. Disc also includes short Buster Keaton comedies Neighbors (1920, 18 min.) and The Balloonatic (1923, 22 min.) (All Regions, NTSC)
Consider the beginning of Buster Keaton's 1925 feature, Seven Chances, which is under an hour long. An opening title explains that the hero, Jimmie Shannon (Keaton), is trying to tell his girlfriend Mary Jones (Dwyer) that he loves her. There they are, standing in front of her house, with Jimmie fumbling and fidgeting and Mary standing beside him with a small puppy on a leash. Apparently he's too shy to come out with it, because a series of scenes fade in and out during which the seasons change and so does the dog, which changes from a cuddly pup to a larger young dog to a monster well on his way to pony size while Jimmie's tongue remains too tied to come out with it and declare his affection. All of this takes less than two minutes.
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About the author
- Writer: Plalai Faifa
- Position: Writer
