The High Sign

Audience Reviews

View More

Sep 7, 2016 first keaton film but shelved 4 a couple of months & released second See more Oct 27, 2014 Keaton shelved this movie for quite a while because he wasn't satisfied with it as his first solo project. It's a hoot, though. Keaton's prop comedy is front and center here, climaxing with an extended chase through a house loaded with trap doors and secret passages. See more Sep 6, 2014 Nearly a century later and the physicality to this man's humor still holds up. Looking for a job, our man (Buster Keaton) gets hired to be bodyguard, but also gets pressured to kill the same man by the local gang. I know all of my reviews haven't migrated over here, but if you've been following me for any length of time on previous media, you know how hard I geek out for Buster Keaton. In my opinion, this type of slapstick didn't really translate well into the talkies, but for the silent era, it has an endless amount of charm when executed correctly, and with Buster, it is almost always just that. The gags go places that you don't expect; it will present to you a setup, not take it, and then blindside you with something that you don't see coming. Another thing I love is how he is not afraid to sacrifice his body for a laugh, and while there isn't as much imminent danger here as there is in The General or Seven Chances, the finale with the customized house is vintage Buster and put a huge smile on my face. I've been getting a mixed bag as far as quality goes with these shorts, as Youtube is a bit of a crapshoot for what you're going to get, but the print I watched had a fantastic score, and that made me realize how much the music can make or break your experience. I would say that of the 9 Keaton shorts I've seen so far, this is in the upper echelon, and while it doesn't match the exuberance of the sidesplitting One Week, I would place it somewhere in the top five. See more Jan 29, 2014 My first introduction to Keaton and I loved him running around the house at the end. It was brilliantly done. I wish I had a house to play in like that. See more Feb 8, 2013 'The High Sign' was the first short that Keaton shot as a solo artist, and he wasn't fond of it; or maybe he didn't have confidence in it for some reason, or was shaky about how it would be received by Joseph M. Schenck, his producer; maybe he thought the public wouldn't like it. In any case, Keaton shelved it after making it, and his next film- 'One Week'- would be the first movie that audiences saw out of his new deal with Metro Pictures. It was later released when Buster suffered a minor crippling accident and needed a film to fulfill contractual duties, and to this day it is still looked at as "minor" Keaton. To me, it is major entertainment, and while it may not contain the same pathos that would become such a strong part of Buster's very best masterpieces (see the intensely compelling romantic comic edge in 'The General'), it does contain some of the funniest straight gags I have seen in a Keaton short. Critics point out that Keaton hadn't quite mastered the use of his "toys" here (Buster was famous for turning set-pieces into moving, transforming, dramatic and usually quite dangerous elements of his films), and on that point they are correct; yet the daredevil is most certainly there, and the final sequence, which involves Keaton dashing and darting through a house that functions as a veritable Rubik's Cube, has all the mad genius and manic stunt layering he would come to be known for. See more Mar 6, 2012 95 The High Sign puts Buster trying to make some cash, and he inadvertently gets hired to both protect and murder the same man. The High Sign is quintessential Buster Keaton. It's a great example at what makes Buster so great. It's got inventive jokes, impressive stunts, incredible technical inventions, and an interesting story. There are so many fantastic moments that are simultaneously uproarious, technically impressive, and physically impressive that only exemplify how talented Buster really was. The newspaper gag, the shooting gallery, the shooting practice scene, are all brilliantly hilarious. And of course, the terrific chase scene through the booby trapped house in last five minutes of the film are just a feast of Buster's talent. His talent as an athlete, comedian, and writer just explode off the screen. The story is rather amusing too, and it works out fairly well, so much so that it puts a goofy smile on your face. The High Sign is just a fantastically good time. Many of the jokes are so innovative and uniquely Buster, that it makes this film a must-see for any fan of Buster's or even any fan of classic cinema. There may not be anything life-altering about the film, but there's no denying it's the perfect film to showcase Buster's talent. See more Read all reviews

The High Sign

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING