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| Buster tied to a pole... sort of... |
Starring Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox and Joe Roberts
Produced by Buster Keaton Productions
In a rural part of America, a tribe of Indians lives in peace and harmony on their land. Their tranquility is shattered when a group of oil barons steals the dead to their land. The furious chief orders the death of the first white man to walk through their gate as retribution.
In walks Buster Keaton chasing a butterfly.
The tribe begins following Keaton around as he explores the insects on their land. He eventually catches on that they mean him harm and he tries unsuccessfully to escape. They tie Keaton to a pole, but he pulls the pole from the ground and changes positions as they attempt to build a fire around him.
He eventually does get away, finds and abandoned cabin and constructs some fire proof underwear from some asbestos fabrics. Now when he is captured, he miraculously survives the burning and the tribe deifies him.
Can Buster help his adopted family get their land back? And what will a competing tribe have to say about these developments?
As with other Keaton shorts, the plot of The Paleface is ancillary. It's an excuse for Buster to pull off some great action-comedy set pieces. The best of these is the bit with the pole described above. Each time one of the Indians piles wood underneath Keaton's feet, Buster moves to a new spot when the Indian's back is turned. The execution between the players is perfect for the gag.
Once Buster is accepted into the tribe, he leads the warriors to the office of the oil company and they threaten the businessman with a tribal dance. Keaton interrupts the dance to critique one of the dancer's moves. When one of the oil barons attempts to escape, Buster follows and returns with a toupee in hand. The chief is impressed with the paleface's scalping abilities.
I watched this one with my eight-year-old and he loved it. The sight gags and pratfalls hit him right in the funny bone every time.
The Paleface is another Keaton short and that is its greatest strength and primary weakness. It's funny and contains some inventive gags, but it is cut from the same cloth as the comic's previous work.
*** out of *****
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