Directed by Buster Keaton
9 Episodes
Arguably the greatest comic genius of the silent era, Buster Keaton turned the adage “less is more” into slapstick gold, using his perpetually passive, poker-faced visage to wring laughs from the most absurd situations. A child of vaudeville, he transferred the knockabout style of physical comedy he honed on the stage to the nascent medium of cinema, distinguishing himself both in front of and behind the camera with his audacious, often genuinely dangerous set pieces and innate understanding of the possibilities of filmmaking. With innovative features like SHERLOCK JR., THE GENERAL, and STEAMBOAT BILL, JR., Keaton took silent comedy to new heights of astonishing ambition—all the while remaining, thanks to that immovable countenance, touchingly human.
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01:06Episode 1
Directed by Buster Keaton Teaser
Episode 1
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1:06:15Episode 2
The Navigator
Episode 2
Directed by Buster Keaton and Donald Crisp • 1924 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Frederick VroomBuster Keaton sets sail for misadventure in what would prove to be his biggest commercial hit, a slapstick riot that makes ingenious use of its setting: a 500-foot, lost-at-...
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45:35Episode 3
Sherlock Jr.
Episode 3
Directed by Buster Keaton • 1924 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe KeatonReality and movie fantasy merge to brilliantly surreal effect in one of Buster Keaton’s most formally innovative features—a whirlwind of astonishing optical tricks and meta-cinematic invention. H...
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Go West
Episode 4
Directed by Buster Keaton 1925 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Howard Truesdale, Kathleen MyersNotable for its streak of sweet sentimentality—rare in a Buster Keaton feature—this endearing slapstick western features the filmmaker-star as an idealistic young man (known as Friendless) wh...
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57:21Episode 5
Seven Chances
Episode 5
Directed by Buster Keaton • 1925 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, T. Roy Barnes, Ruth DwyerIt’s a race to the altar when down-on-his-luck stockbroker Jimmie Shannon (Buster Keaton) learns that he stands to inherit seven million dollars if he gets married by seven p.m. on his twenty-seve...
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1:18:26Episode 6
Battling Butler
Episode 6
Directed by Buster Keaton • 1926 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Snitz Edwards, Sally O’NeilCited by Buster Keaton as one of his personal favorites among his own films, this knockabout adaptation of a Broadway play revolves around a case of mistaken identity between two Alfred Butlers—o...
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1:19:34Episode 7
The General
Episode 7
Directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman • 1926 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen CavenderConsistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, Buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with e...
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1:11:26Episode 8
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Episode 8
Directed by Buster Keaton and Charles Reisner • 1928 • United States
Starring Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Tom McGuireSTEAMBOAT BILL, JR. was Buster Keaton’s last independent silent comedy and also one of his finest. He stars as the sensitive son of a gruff riverboat captain (Ernest Torrence...
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1:41:06Episode 9
The Great Buster: A Celebration
Episode 9
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich • 2018 • United States
The final film by renowned director and cinema historian Peter Bogdanovich is an affectionate, illuminating celebration of the life, career, and artistry of pioneering filmmaker and comedian Buster Keaton, whose ambition, daring, and technical...