Scandal has denied Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle his proper place alongside Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd in the pantheon of silent comedy, but this collection of 12 two-reel shorts may encourage a renaissance. Directed by and starring Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton, the films all follow a simple structure: Fatty and Buster play low level employees whose workplace (a doctor's office, a theater, a farm, a garage) is thrown into chaos by a series of escalating prop-driven gags often built around romance, before order is ultimately restored. Keaton is the known quality here--watch how he elevates himself from supporting player to costar in “The Butcher Boy” with the help of a hat filled with molasses and a bucket of brooms--but Arbuckle's versatility carries the films. More than just a portly expressive yin to Keaton's wiry laconic yang, Arbuckle used his girth to play loveable bullies, sad-sack losers, and frustrated Everymen. No matter how many pratfalls you watch him do, his grace is always striking, as is his surprising virtuosity as a romantic lead. Soon after “The Garage”--the best of the films in this collection--Arbuckle followed an ill-fated path into features, while Keaton went on to surpass his teacher both as a comic and a director. Still, these films provide ample evidence that while his physical style was his own, Keaton's directorial debt to Arbuckle should not be underestimated. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (D. Fienberg)
The Best Arbuckle/Keaton Collection
Image, 2 discs, 218 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99 Volume 18, Issue 2
The Best Arbuckle/Keaton Collection
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