April 18th, 2021 – the day The High Sign was released. As I’ve said before, this was the first independent short Buster Keaton made but not the first one he released. He ultimately held this one back until after he’d put out a few stronger, tighter shorts, and as such, The High Sign is experimental and a little messy compared to something like One Week or Neighbors. However, it still reflects Buster’s panache and potential as he stepped out on his own in his films (spoilers.)
The Newspaper
This is a classic. Very simple on the face of it – Buster continues to unfold a newspaper as it reaches comically-large proportions until it’s the size of a bedsheet and he topples over as he gets lost inside it – but executed so well. Each beat is perfect as the gag builds, and I especially like Buster having to get up on top of the bench as the newspaper gets too big to handle.
Rigging the Bell
Clever Buster. Trying to get a job at a shooting gallery, he has to pass himself off as a crack shot. There’s a bell that rings every time he gets a hit, so naturally, Buster rigs up an elaborate system involving a small dog tied to the bell who gets baited to chase after a meaty bone every time Buster presses a hidden pedal (only Buster, I swear.) The result? A bullseye “ding!” every time! This leads Buster to increasingly-more elaborate trick shots, knowing that, even when he accidentally fires at the ceiling, he can still smash the pedal to make it sound like he got a hit. Trademark mechanical gag, with bonus points for including a live animal in his contraption.
Introduction to the Blinking Buzzards
A little moment, but I love it. The gallery owner, having seen Buster’s “expert shooting,” decides to induct him into the Blinking Buzzards gang. While he’s yammering, Buster slips around behind him and through the door, so when the guy finally gets around to opening the door himself, Buster’s already standing on the other side waiting for him, hands on his hips with a “come on already!” attitude. It’s just delightful.
Evading the Police Officer
I do love me a good clever-but-half-thought-out Buster disguise. After getting on the bad side of a cop (as always,) Buster does some quick thinking, turning his collar around and putting his jacket on backwards in a pretty good DIY parson disguise. Unfortunately for him, it only works from the front, and as soon as the cop walks past and then looks back at him, it’s clear he’s just a guy with his jacket on backwards.
Hanging His Hat
Another good tiny moment, just Buster shaking hands with the Nickelnursers as he casually tosses his hat onto the hat stand across the room without looking. Throwaway bits like this do such a nice job displaying those strong flashes of Buster’s personality, and they add so much to a scene like this, which is more functional and not as outwardly comedic.
No comments:
Post a Comment