Keaton fans will be disappointed by this adaptation of a 1913 play which was originally intended for its Broadway star, Douglas Fairbanks. The comic's feature debut is as far from his customary knockabout farces as it is possible to get, with him playing the part of the simple-minded son of a Wall Street financier who finds himself cast off (with just $1 million) when he announces his intention to marry his father's young ward (Beulah Booker). Apart from a 10-minute sequence set on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Keaton gets very little chance to perform his physical acrobatics, and the meagre touches of humour to be found in the screenplay simply aren't strong enough to carry the film.
Review of The Saphead
