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Review

Our Hospitality

Director

John G. Blystone

Buster Keaton

Year

1923

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon C Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Our Hospitality, one of Buster Keaton’s finest films, is a masterpiece of comedy and storytelling. It sets a very good example of how disparate situations can be connected to intertwine storylines and make the most out of them given circumstance and coincidence. If you haven’t seen the film and hear the premise of its story, and then find out what kind of scenes it ends up making up, you’ll think it’s not faithful to its original ideas. But outstandingly, while watching the movie, you’ll realize it not only makes sense, but does so with unlimited creativity and imagination. It’s a glorious film, a comedic gem, and one of Buster’s best.

The story surrounds a Kentuckian feud between the McKay and the Canfield families that has transmitted from generation to generation with men killing each other on account of their ancestors’ rivalry. John McKay (Edward Coxen) and James Canfield (Tom London) kill each other, so James’ brother, Joseph (Joe Roberts), swears vengeance against John’s son, Willie (Buster Keaton Jr., Stoneface’s real-life son). The latter’s mother, however, is worried that his son will have the same fate as his father, so she sends him to New York with her sister Mary (Kitty Bradbury).

Twenty-one years later, Willie, ignorant of the feud, receives a letter asking him to claim his family’s estate. His aunt warns him of the feud, so off he goes, conscious that he must avoid the Canfields at all costs. But circumstance leads him to befriend one of them, young Virginia (Natalie Talmadge), who he meets on the train. Little does he suspect who she really is, so once they get to their homeland, and her family spots the young man, mayhem ensues.

Thing is, Virginia has no idea Willie is a McKay, so she invites him for supper. Once there, respectable Joseph tells his sons (Craig Ward and Ralph Bushman) that they must not kill a guest at their own home; thus, the three are ready to shoot the man once he sets foot outside. As soon as Willie understands the situation, he decides to stay inside no matter what. A Parson (Monte Collins), Willie’s dog, and every possible third-party intervention, add to the fun.

Now, how do you imagine a story like this to end with a waterfall rescue scene? Well, it does, and surprisingly, as I said before, it makes perfect sense. As a matter of fact, though the central theme of the story is indeed the feud (and consequently, the Canfields’ hospitality), Keaton and co-director Jack Blystone pay enough attention to many other themes. Writers Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell concocted a story with one too many threads, and the directors know how to make the most out of each and still make a smooth-playing film. For instance, most of the first half of the movie happens on the small train, where you couldn’t ask for more entertainment. After that, the story changes drastically, but it’s as hilarious, despite the dramatic backdrop. Then the climatic sequence in the rapids and then the waterfall is truly exhilarating, and finally, the ending offers a lesson and after that we get an extra laugh. Gosh, what a great film!

Aside from the masterful storytelling and direction, the attention to detail must be praised. The train, for instance, is an exact replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, and the view of a very old “Times Square”, plus an in-joke about a dangerous crossing in the New York streets, are free bits, not really necessary for the whole, but definitely welcome. As always in Keaton’s films, the staging of the action sequences and the work by the stunts is mesmerizing, with Buster performing his own like a true acrobat, and a very brave one at that.

Overall, it’s a must-see film, and a masterpiece of silent comedy.

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