Seven Chances

Buster Keaton directs and stars in this 1925 silent comedy as Jimmy Shannon, a bachelor and struggling young lawyer who's informed that he must marry by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday—which just happens to be that very day—in order to inherit $7 million. Turned down by Mary (Ruth Dwyer), the girl he's long loved, Jimmy frantically searches for someone—anyone—to wed. While Seven Chances doesn't boast the sustained inspiration of his best films (such as The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr.), Keaton nevertheless fills the movie with inventive moments and clever ideas, notably a series of desperate proposals (the 'seven chances' of the title) leading to an outrageous finale, as a church full of hopeful brides all expecting to marry into his fortune set off on a surreal chase of epic proportions, with the hapless Keaton fleeing the angry mob of women and outrunning an avalanche of rolling stones and massive boulders—never once losing his trademark deadpan expression. The biggest weakness here is an embarrassing blackface performance that, while common for the time, is tasteless to modern eyes. Newly remastered for DVD and Blu-ray, with a musical score by Robert Israel, bonus features include an audio commentary, a pair of background featurettes, and two shorts—the Three Stooges in Brideless Groom (1947), and Edwin S. Porter's How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns (1904). A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Aug 27, 2018—Cohen, 136 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1925/1926’s Seven Chances and Battling Butler feature fine transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. Extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette 'Buster Keaton: The Daredevil' (4 min.) and restoration trailers. Bottom line: these 4K restorations are the best-looking editions of these Keaton classics to date]