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Buster keaton cops1/17/2024 ![]() 'Cops (1922)' is generally typical of the comedian's two-reelers of the early 1920s, though with a lesser emphasis on the ingenious gadgets exhibited in 'One Week (1920)' and 'The High Sign (1921).' The film opens with Keaton apparently looking through prison bars at his sweetheart, until a clarifying shot reveals that it is merely the girl's front gate. Lying in bed with a sore throat, I needed some cheering up. It was that kind of a day for "The Young Man" (Buster) when nothing, but nothing, went right for him! The last five minutes of this two-reeler involve the famous chase scene where up to 100 cops wind up pursuing our hero. Virginia Fox, who I like, got second billing but her role was very minor in here. Up to the last quarter of the film, nothing much happened. As for the film overall, it was okay but not as super as I had hoped after reading a number of reviews saying this could be Keaton's best. He didn't use doubles in his films this guy had not only comedic talent but astonishing physical strength and coordination. His feats on the ladder in this film show what I'm talking about here. He must have been an extremely strong, little man, an athlete with muscles like an Olympic gymnast. What struck me most about this famous Buster Keaton short was not the overall entertainment value or the big chase scene at the end, but Keaton's amazing strength and physical prowess! This guy was incredible. "Cops" is rather representative of Keaton's refined sense of what's funny and of his advanced understanding of film-making. Keaton's sense of matured, restrained comedy is also important here, which is perhaps best characterized by his retained stoic expression throughout any chaotic misadventure. And, there's plenty of physical comedy during the great chase finale. Keaton's mechanical inventiveness is demonstrated during the horse carriage sequence. In "Cops", there are some good visual jokes that rely on film technique, such as following a close shot of Keaton behind bars with a reverse long shot that clarifies the opening scene. Keaton came from vaudeville and worked under one of the premiere early comedians, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to begin his on screen career, so he was fully immersed in this tradition. Then, there were the Pathé comedies and those of Mack Sennett's Keystone, which were greatly derived from them. The comedic chase has a long cinema tradition, perhaps dating back to James Williamson's "Stop Thief!" (1901) or "Chinese Laundry Scene" (1895), the latter of which was based on a vaudeville act. ![]() My favorite Keaton chase, by the way, is the chase of the brides in "Seven Chances". ![]() Cops chased Keaton in "Convict 13", "Neighbors", "Hard Luck", "The Goat" and-in an escalated chase very similar to that in "Cops"-"Daydreams". ![]() It features a large comedic chase-chases, especially involving policemen, being one of the most regularly reoccurring devices in Keaton's oeuvre, especially in his two-reelers. I prefer his films with more cinematically based comedy, such as in "The Playhouse", "The Frozen North" and "Sherlock, Jr.", but "Cops" is a very entertaining little film. This seems to be Buster Keaton's most popular short film. ![]()
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