The Scarecrow

100% unadulterated, full on keaton, this is as good as silent comedy gets. right from the get go the crowd is amused and fully entertained, there are no lulls just pure comedy genius.

Even at this early date, Keaton's style was mature and timeless. A rural tale of the transition to mechanical modernity.

Begins with some gags that seem light, amusing, and sort of Chaplin-esque; then, before you know it, they've become insane, turbulently funny deconstructions; and it becomes emphatically clear how Keaton's genius had no peer.

Short and pretty amusing.

Even ~90 years removed from its time, I'd still love to live that goddamn house.

Story-wise it is somewhat lacking in substance, but it has some great visual gags and details in the mise-en-scène that almost go unnoticed at first, but help tell the story purely in images.

Exciting, inventive, chaotic, funny. Somewhat rambling and uneven.

This one reminded me of a Three Stooges short only done about twenty years earlier. The dog chase scene was very fun to watch.

Very original and imaginative. Plenty of laughs and the house at beginning is amazing.

Hmm, yes, there is a fair bit of padding in some of these. The stuff in the house is great, but the Luke the Dog chase goes on too long and there's too much ass-kicking. Picks up again at the end. About on-par with a good Arbuckle short.

Just not funny

Another Keaton thrill-ride. Right from the start, he already packs so much great new material into 20 minutes, and paces it out without any rushes or lulls. Roberts is a bit of an underwhelming partner here, but Sybil Seely and the dog make up for it.

couldn't find a real thematic throughline here, although the way animals are repeatedly the enemy (he is a scarecrow, after all) seems apt for keaton--only once he's riding a machine can he get things done, and the wedding ring gag is a quintessential keaton image. i only really like the first part, though, which may superficially resemble i.e. THE GOLD RUSH but is wholly buster's in how it employs ridiculous, elaborate rube goldberg contraptions to mock the absurd impracticality of modernity.

Typical Buster Keaton. The routine with the namesake scarecrow is pretty short and not the best. They should have called it "The House".

Pretty funny. I especially liked the scene when they eat.

A strong short, although I'd be darned if I could tell you how all those parts fit together. I wasn't a fan of the dog sequence, but that house arrangement was a riot.

Pure chaos. It's a cute idea and while the story is lacking and it just seems to go on for far too long. But, it's excellently made.

O Espantalho estreava há 100 anos nos EUA. Isso tudo é tão deliciosamente insano que nem sei. Só resta saber quem é melhor aqui: Buster ou o cachorro? Box Obras-primas do Cinema Buster Keaton.

Pretty fun. If you watch these buster shorts chronologically, you see that original ideas and gags were used in early shorts, and then reused for a few times later.

Consistently funny, nothing drags. Joe Roberts is no Fatty Arbuckle.

10.15 Erkan

I was pleasantly taken aback by how weird and absurd this one was. It's not really the kind of comedy I associate with Keaton, but it's hilarious. Luke the Dog steals the whole show by chasing Keaton for 5-10 mins culminating in an incredible absurdist gag.

Rube Goldberg stuff!