TRIBUTES AND RETROSPECTIVES

Escapes

Sherlock Jr.

Buster Keaton
1924 - United States - 45mn

Screenings : monday 22 - 2:30 pm - Pathé - 2 - presented by Sébastien Farouelle - film teacher saturday 27 - 7:30 pm - Pathé - 1

A projectionist in love with his boss's daughter is brutally rejected by her when, a victim of a trick by a dishonest rival, he is unjustly accused of theft. In his projection booth, he falls asleep and dreaming that he is a detective joins the other characters on screen. The on-screen plot is similar to what he is actually going through in real life.

Buster Keaton's longest short film, Sherlock Jr remains famous for the scene where the main character, a projectionist falls asleep and ends up on the screen of the cinema where he works. This way Keaton showed the character's dream, the possibility of going from accused thief to hero. Surrealist critics were impressed by this technique which gives rise to a second half of the picture as an action film where our apprentice Sherlock lives through fast-paced chases and stunts. All these scenes were created on-set, and it is impossible not to be amazed by Keaton's inspired acrobatic talents. Sherlock Jr clearly influenced other filmmakers, notably Woody Allen with The Purple Roses of Cairo and John McTiernan with his Last Action Hero.

CAST AND CREW

Cast : Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, Erwin Connelly, Ward Crane
Screenplay : Jean C. Havez, Joseph A. Mitchell, Clyde Bruckman
Cinematography : Byron Houck, Elgin Lessley
Editing : Roy B. Yokelson, Buster Keaton

Production : Buster Keaton Productions

French distributor : Splendor films