The Saphead was Buster Keaton's first feature length film, but is usually ignored as it is not a true comedy. In this film Buster plays Bertie van Alstyne (who was played by Douglas Fairbanks in an earlier version) and the film is a transfer of a Broadway production called the "New Henrietta". By watching the opening sequences you can tell that the film will not be a true comedy and Buster does not appear in the early parts of the film. The Saphead begins with us finding out that a character named Mark Turner has had an affair with a now dying woman, who wishes to break up his marriage. Finally now we get to see Buster in a scene with some subtle comedy. We discover that he is in love in a woman called Agnes, who is coming home that evening by train, Buster does not see her at the station and she travels home alone. Eventually they are to get married when during the ceremony Mark Turner's affair is discovered, but he manages to force it upon Buster who is sent away. This film may sound boring, but the last 20 minutes are funnier than any Keaton film I've seen (most of them). Buster visits the stock exchange only to get confused and...you have to watch it for yourself to find it truly funny. Overall I found it to be a very good film with its mix of melodrama and comedy.
Review of The Saphead
