“KEATON’S FIRST MASTERPIECE”

By Raymond Benson

Although Buster Keaton had starred in two feature films (and directed one of them), it wasn’t until the release of Our Hospitality in late 1923 that he established himself as a major force of cinema to rival the likes of Chaplin. Of course, he had already starred in and directed numerous shorts, all of which served to build his reputation—but it is this beautifully-rendered silent classic that is considered the auteur’s first masterpiece.

The story takes place in the early 1800s and draws upon a rural family feud like the Hatfields and McCoys—in this case the McKays and Canfields. When patriarch John McKay is killed by James Canfield (and vice versa), Mrs. McKay flees with little baby Willie McKay (played by Buster’s real-life infant son, Buster Keaton Jr.). Twenty years later, Willie inherits the old family estate in the south and returns to claim it, only vaguely aware of the feud that has existed for decades. On the way he meets Virginia (played by Keaton’s wife at the time, Natalie Talmadge), who happens to be a Canfield. Upon arrival at home, Willie continues to court Virginia, but her brothers won’t have it. The rest of the picture is a cats-and-mouse game of Willie avoiding being killed and at the same time wooing the woman he wants to marry.

There are many striking aspects about the picture. Keaton’s paid great attention to detail in the design and location shooting. Apparently, he took great pains to create realistic locomotives and tracks that depicted early train development in America (although he played with time period accuracy for the sake of more interesting visuals). The final act contains some spectacular and hair-raising stunt work by the star, including an incident of falling into rapids and almost drowning on camera. Mostly, though, the story is well-constructed, the characters have more depth than in the other silent comedies of the day, and, in the end, Our Hospitality is one of Keaton’s most satisfying movies.

Interestingly, it’s the only Keaton film to feature three generations of Keatons—Buster himself, his previously-mentioned son, and his father, Joe Keaton, as a train engineer.

Kino Classics presents a beautiful grey and sepia-toned 1920x1080p restoration with a 2.0 stereo soundtrack and a score composed and conducted by Robert Israel. A fascinating audio commentary by film historians Farran Smith Nehme and Imogen Sara Smith accompanies the feature. Supplements include a rare 1947 short, Un duel à mort (A Duel to the Death) starring Keaton; The Iron Mule, a short from 1925 that Keaton produced (uncredited) and features some of his locomotive creations; a featurette on the background of Our Hospitality with Serge Bromberg; and an excellent featurette on the scoring of the film, narrated by Robert Israel. The booklet contains an essay by Jeffrey Vance.

Our Hospitality is yet another superb release from Kino Classics, a highlight in the fabulous filmography of the inimitable Buster Keaton.

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