The Great Buster

Unless you've seen and are very, very familiar with Buster's filmography, there's no need to see this. Otherwise, this isn't an illuminating expose on his life, but a personally felt dedication to the greatness of his work, even in the lesser films he made when the sound period came along, that respectfully spends a great deal of time on the films and his stunt gags themselves. Bogdanovich sure has a voice for narration, thankfully he cast himself.

A personalised documentary that serves as a reminder of Keaton's unique comic talent. There is nothing remotely new for Keaton fans, but for casual fans it's an entertaining and informative glimpse at a fascinating career marked by peaks and troughs, from the halycon days of the 20's to his later gun-for-hire period. Regrettably, he lacked Chaplin and Lloyd's entrepreneurial 'spirit', which exposed him to the vagaries of the market, but his seminal contributions to the medium are beyond debate.

Maybe the best documentaries teach you something or give you insight into a slice of experience you would never have otherwise known about. But a great documentary about Buster Keaton just gives you an excuse to watch great ol' scenes of Buster Keaton. He was the best.