Have always had great admiration for Buster Keaton, one of the funniest, boldest and most important comedy geniuses of his time and to exist. His best work was hilarious, and not only is there very few people in comedy at the time and since as jaw-droppingly daring but he was one of not many, and possibly the best at it, to make deadpan work. There really were few people like him before, during and since, despite loving comedy of all decades and most kinds of styles Keaton was a true original.
'Three Ages' was his first full length feature film, after making a lot of short films previously. It is worth seeing and certainly not bad for first full length feature, it's amusing and cute. He did though go on to much better things, and even consider many of his short films better, where his comedy became funnier and bolder with crisper timing and the production values were more refined. Inexperience in making full length features did show at times.
Although this can be said for much of Keaton's work, the story is best forgotten as there is not an awful lot of one. Did think that there was a slight "three short films in one feature film" feel somewhat, though linked together by the same premise, but that's probably just me.
Margaret Leahy is a pretty inept leading lady in an admittedly thankless role, at this point of his career Keaton seldom had a leading lady this wooden. Most of the gags do work and there are many of them, but some of the prehistoric gags (the accidental backward fall being one of the exceptions) are slightly corny.
Such a lot works. It looks good, the Roman Age is especially well rendered. As said, most of the humour is very funny indeed and timed well in all the three ages (even if not everything in the prehistoric period works completely). While the modern age is vintage early Keaton, though safer, a few of the best moments are in the Roman Age. The highlight of the film for me also being in that age, that being the chariot race.
It's not all just funny. 'Three Ages' also struck me as very cute and charming, with Keaton's antics and fighting for love being very endearing as well as entertaining. Keaton wasn't nicknamed "The Great Stone Face" for nothing, deadpan is not an easy way of acting to nail but Keaton was a master of this because he made it amusing and nuanced. Wallace Beery is a suitably boistrous rival and their rivalry is fun to watch.
Overall, Keaton did much better but this was a nice watch. 7/10
'Three Ages' was his first full length feature film, after making a lot of short films previously. It is worth seeing and certainly not bad for first full length feature, it's amusing and cute. He did though go on to much better things, and even consider many of his short films better, where his comedy became funnier and bolder with crisper timing and the production values were more refined. Inexperience in making full length features did show at times.
Although this can be said for much of Keaton's work, the story is best forgotten as there is not an awful lot of one. Did think that there was a slight "three short films in one feature film" feel somewhat, though linked together by the same premise, but that's probably just me.
Margaret Leahy is a pretty inept leading lady in an admittedly thankless role, at this point of his career Keaton seldom had a leading lady this wooden. Most of the gags do work and there are many of them, but some of the prehistoric gags (the accidental backward fall being one of the exceptions) are slightly corny.
Such a lot works. It looks good, the Roman Age is especially well rendered. As said, most of the humour is very funny indeed and timed well in all the three ages (even if not everything in the prehistoric period works completely). While the modern age is vintage early Keaton, though safer, a few of the best moments are in the Roman Age. The highlight of the film for me also being in that age, that being the chariot race.
It's not all just funny. 'Three Ages' also struck me as very cute and charming, with Keaton's antics and fighting for love being very endearing as well as entertaining. Keaton wasn't nicknamed "The Great Stone Face" for nothing, deadpan is not an easy way of acting to nail but Keaton was a master of this because he made it amusing and nuanced. Wallace Beery is a suitably boistrous rival and their rivalry is fun to watch.
Overall, Keaton did much better but this was a nice watch. 7/10