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At-A-Glance Film Reviews

Buster Keaton: The Playhouse (1921)

Rating

[4.0]

Reviews and Comments

This Buster Keaton short is quite a feat of the writer-director-star's technical prowess. An early sequence has Keaton playing the conductor of a show and each of the members of its orchestra, cast, and audience. At one point Keaton appears on screen nine different times. His various characters, instantly recognizable members of various stereotypes, are innovative, as is the elaborate, detailed scheme of gags. Don't let your eyes leave the screen for a second! Unfortunately, the short runs several minutes too long, meandering toward the end.

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