I watch a lot of Silent Comedy but if I had to ask someone
to watch just one short silent picture it may well be this one. The Goat is packed full of wonderful
jokes, ingenious set ups and incredible stunt work. I laughed more at twenty
seven minutes of this film than I have during probably every comedy I’ve seen
so far this year combined.
What makes this film so great is the sheer quantity and quality of gags. While essentially a chase comedy, this is to the Keystone Cops what BBC4 is to ITV2. Sure they have similarities, but one is far more sophisticated that the other. Keaton seems to find endless possibilities in places to hide and ways of escape, only to have them backfire on him. The way that the gags join together feels effortless. Nothing about the film feels forced despite the huge number of jokes and stunts. Keaton never creates a tenuous link from one to another, the whole film feels smooth and calculated while remaining frantic and fast paced.
As well as being incredibly funny, this is also quite
surreal in places, in keeping with Keaton’s cannon. Some of the more surreal
moments include a clay horse melting under Keaton’s weight and perhaps one of
Keaton’s most famous scenes in which a train approaches from the distance and
stops immediately in front of the camera showing Keaton, stone faced, riding
the cow catcher. This isn’t really played for laughs but you laugh at the
audacity of the shot. Perhaps the most surreal scene involves an elevator chase
in which Keaton and the Police Chief (Joe Roberts) are involved in a chase
through an apartment block. Keaton manipulates the mechanical elevator floor
indicator to his advantage (even though this wouldn’t really effect where the
elevator was) and by pulling it hard and past the top floor Keaton forces the
elevator out of the roof. The scene is like a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and
something Terry Gilliam would produce. It’s a wonderfully clever and funny
scene.
Something else that stands out, as with any Keaton picture,
is the star’s athleticism and gymnastic abilities. It sometimes seems as though
Keaton is made of rubber as he jumps, falls, stretches and squeezes with ease
both in and out of trouble. Keaton, who once broke his neck during a film (and
didn’t realise until years later when he had an x-ray) was never afraid to put
himself in harms way and that is certainly true here. In The Goat he can be seen jumping through windows and off vehicles,
sliding down elevator shafts and falling of a variety of apparatus. During all
of this his expression never changes.
To call The Goat a
masterpiece would be no exaggeration. It is easily amongst the greatest silent
shorts of the 1920s and amongst Keaton’s best work. The humour, timing and plot
don’t feel out of place today. It’s the sort of film that you’ll be afraid to
look away from for just a second or two in case you miss a gag or glance. This
is comedic perfection.
9/10
There are various versions of the film online that can be seen for free but if you're interested then watch this version at the end of Paul Merton's Silent Clowns Documentary. The picture is clear and the musical accompnyment works well. The Goat - 1921
No comments:
Post a Comment