Sherlock Jr. and Three Ages

This compilation features two short Buster Keaton films that nicely display both his comedic genius and cinematic ingenuity. Three Ages (1923), Keaton's feature directing debut, spoofs D.W. Griffith's Intolerance and Ben Hur (among other targets), taking a look at the trials of true love through the ages, with Keaton as a hapless suitor in three different epochs: a bearskin-wearing, dinosaur-riding caveman in the Stone Age, a meek centurion with a ragtag chariot in ancient Rome, and a jazz-age black-tie-bedecked Romeo in a Model T. While it lacks the dramatic unity and sustained creativity of his later masterpieces, the comic invention here is a delight. On the other hand, Sherlock Jr. (1924)—which stars Keaton as a meek projectionist who takes a logic-defying leap into the silver screen—is one of his finest works. Sherlock Jr. toys with film's very nature (Keaton was arguably the cinema's first modernist) as the comic interacts with the film-within-a-film and then further bends reality by turning master detective with the help of a how-to handbook and a crazy imagination. The special effects are astounding, especially given the limited era-specific tools at Keaton's disposal. Both prints look clean (the images on the Blu-ray edition actually look better than the intertitles), with each film accompanied by multiple scores (including two bright small-combo sets and a jazz compilation soundtrack for Sherlock Jr.). DVD and Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by film historian David Kalat on Sherlock Jr., background featurettes, and visual essays. Recommended. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Aug 13, 2018—Cohen, 111 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making their latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1924’s Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator feature fine transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. Extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes 'The Great Stone Face' (4 min.) and 'The Comedian' (4 min.), and restoration trailers. Bottom line: these 4K restorations are the best-looking editions of these Keaton classics to date.]