Cheap College (DVD) (Buster Keaton) (Buster Keaton, James W. Horne) Price

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Customer Reviews of College

There's more to this movie than gags, though. The final 30 seconds give full vent to Keaton's deep pessimism about the human condition. It is perhaps the blackest sequence in all of cinema; certainly, after such a light comedy, it comes like punch in the stomach.

Kino does its usual fine job with the video transfer and extras. This disk is a must-have for any fan of silent comedy.

To Boldly Go Where Harold Lloyd Had Gone Before
COLLEGE came during the same period in Buster Keaton's career as did his most famous feature, THE GENERAL. Yet the difference couldn't be more startling. While THE GENERAL reveled in thrills, spills, chases, daring rescues, and fun sight gags, COLLEGE is more a random collection of physical comedy jokes that achieve varying degrees of success. Yes, there's some funny material, but I can't say that this film matches up with Keaton at his best.

The basic story is that Keaton is a High School graduate (yeah, everyone looks about twice as old as the characters they're playing) who ridicules athletics during his valedictorian speech. But desperate to win back the heart of his shallow girlfriend, he must excel at some sporting event. He goes with her to college (along with the aged High School athlete) determined to prove his worth.

I know we're expected to take it as given that Keaton is in love with his sweetheart. Yet, was there anyone in the audience who didn't want to tell him to run a mile when she came up with her "learn sports or else!" ultimatum? The gags involving Keaton's unsuccessful attempts to participate in baseball, track and field, etc are occasionally fun, but are usually quite predictable. I laughed a few times during the film, which had more to do with the fact that Keaton's body language could make almost anything funny, not that the script had come up with anything particularly strong.

Since the main feature only runs for a few minutes over an hour, there are also three short films to pad out the DVD. First up is THE ELECTRIC HOUSE where Keaton is mistaken for an electrical engineer. And like all electrical engineers of the 1920s, he is offered a job installing complicated devices in the house of a rich, fat guy. You know the sort of thing on offer here: escalators in the house, a pool table that racks itself, an automatic food server. Naturally, all of these futuristic devices are just itching to break down in a spectacular and painful manner. This short may feel a little formulaic (we see a gadget, we see it break down, we see another gadget, we see it break down, repeat and lather), but it's quite entertaining. The modern contraptions are inventive and clever.

The second short is HARD LUCK, which may hold the distinction of being the most bizarre short film I've ever seen. Keaton attempts suicide multiple times, begins a hunt for armadillos, gets involved in a Western-style shoot-out, and finally falls through the center of the Earth. I told you it was strange. The version on here is a reconstruction of the best surviving footage, and it's a pity that the film isn't complete, because I thought it was fantastic. A few of the gags seem a bit odd, but I'm willing to put that down to the missing footage (a disclaimer warns the viewer of this at the beginning). The film moves at such a frantic rate that it's impossible to guess where it's going to go next.

The third and final short film on the disc is THE BLACKSMITH, which features Keaton working as a blacksmith's lackey, destroying cars under the guise of fixing them. Following the pattern that Keaton often used, he manages to slowly wreck several expensive items, finally earning the wrath of the secondary characters. This isn't the funniest Keaton short, but it has a handful of hilarious set pieces.

This DVD release will probably be most appealing to Keaton enthusiasts. Casual fans may want to look elsewhere, as the main feature here is comparatively weak. On the other hand, it is great to have the three short films, since they are of much higher quality and help to redress the balance. As a whole, this probably isn't a great purchase, but it isn't a bad one either.

Study on Courtship.
Though COLLEGE isn't as strong a film as THE GENERAL, the movie is a great entertaining piece of cinema. In this film, Keaton plays a bookworm with a negative attitude towards athletics. However, when the girl he loves goes steady with the high school jock and leaves for college, Keaton's character follows. What ensues is total physical mayhem as he fails at one sporting event after another until he finally finds himself on the rowing team as the coxswain. Will this let him get the girl or will the brute with brawn and no brains beat him to the punch?

There is one particular scene in COLLEGE that is quite outdated (and which some will find offensive) where Keaton's character is dressed in black paint. Be forewarned and take it for what it is.