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Edward F. Cline, Buster KeatonThe Playhouse (1921)

The opening scene, a dream sequence prior to the vaudeville routines which follow, is what makes this film famous.
In it Keaton plays everyone in a theatre simultaneously (through multiple exposures).
He is the band leader, all its members, the dancers on the stage and everyone in the audience.


This movie is part of the collection: Comedy Films

Director: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck
Production Company: First National Attracktion
Sponsor: k-otic.com
Audio/Visual: silent, black & white
Keywords: Silent; Comedy; Buster Keaton
Contact Information: www.k-otic.com

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: 1iberal - - May 8, 2009
Subject: The Play House (1921)
wrong name
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012570/

Reviewer: SquareEyed - - January 28, 2006
Subject: Cynic Won Over
I had heard of Buster Keaton and had seen him in a brief cameo in Sunset Boulevarde but had never watched any of the films he made in his prime. The concept of Keaton playing everyone in a theatre simultaneously (through multiple exposures)tickled my fancy so I chose this as my introduction to the Keaton style. I'm a cynic by nature and expected very little from this film as many silents have left me cold and have not aged well. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find my self chuckling loudly at many sequences. The short running length might just be the catalyst to entice people to invest a little time to discover this film legend.Image quality is pretty washed out in the smaller downloads so I chose the MPEG2 (657 MB) version which had greater detail. Gotta check out more of his films...