Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

In this 20 minutes Buster Keaton short, you actually wonder how did he get away with some of those stunts which look life threatening. At one point a side of the house falls on him but the open space for the window goes through him as Keaton just stands on the spot.Newlywed Buster and his bride are given 'portable house' as a wedding present which they build over the course of a week. Love rival Handy Hank who lost out to the bride sabotages the directions which results in the house being built wonky.The film is full of physical comedy and sight gags. There are little touches as the newly married Buster picks up a pair of old shoes that are thrown at him and takes them with him. When his wife is having a bath and she goes to pick up the soap, the cameraman sticks his hand out to preserve her modesty.This film established Keaton as the master of the comedy shorts.

Not to be confused with the similar sounding title as Charlie Chaplin's ONE A.M. (Mutual, 1916) , ONE WEEK (Metro, 1920), written and directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Cline, stars the legendary "stone face" of Buster Keaton in one of his true gems of silent comedy (20 minutes) produced during the early 1920s. Next to COPS (1922), ONE WEEK is one of the prime examples of Keaton's comic genius. After two years supporting Fatty Arbuckle in his series of comedy shorts (1917-1919), Keaton gets to star in what's classified as his first solo effort. The plot, supposedly taking place in a span of one week involving two nameless newlyweds, consists of individual sketches opening and closing through the tearing off of a calendar day sheet followed by the introduction to the next day's activity. Opening title: "The wedding bells have such a sweet sound but such a sour echo." Calendar fade in: "To-Day is Monday the 9th" (no month, no year given): It's Buster's wedding day, with he and his bride (Sybil Seely) exiting from the church surrounded by rice-throwing guests with the exception of one, Handy Hank, a rejected suitor. Before the day's end, the couple arrive on Apple Street where their home, Lot 99, turns out not to be a house with parts assembled in a huge box the from Portable House Company with Buster having to assemble himself. "TUESDAY the 10th" As Sybil prepares breakfast, Buster assembles his new home by the numbers. Not far away is the Hank, who, without Buster's awareness, changes the numbers on the boxes. There's a now classic moment recaptured much later in Buster's feature-length comedy, STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928) involving a house fall. Watch for it; "WEDNESDAY the 10th," With the home nearly completed, appearing as if it had gone through a typhoon, a delivery man (Joe Roberts) arrives with a piano, followed by one of the helpers (possibly Al St. John, though there's no clarification to rectify this character nor the rejected Handy Hank) dangling from his head caught on the rooftop; "THURSDAY the 11th," Buster continues assembling his house while Sybil washes up on the bath-tub. Classic moment: A mysterious hand covering the camera lens as she tries to retrieve the soap dropped on the floor; "FRIDAY the 13th," Housewarming party with friends and relatives resulting to a heavy rain storm and house going around in circles in merry-go-round fashion; "SATURDAY the 14th," Buster discovers his home has been built on the wrong lot and must have it moved to its rightful place. "SUNDAY the 15th," Buster and Sybil attempt moving their home to the right location, resulting to a series of unforeseen circumstances in the classic Buster Keaton tradition.Contrary to its title, the story doesn't take place entirely for one week/seven days, which really doesn't matter. One question comes to mind - shouldn't the opening wedding scene been more appropriate on church day Sunday rather than a work-day Monday, and having his Monday the start of his work week assembling his home? Overlooking these minor flaws, ONE WEEK is a near-perfect Keaton comedy of frustration by which, Buster, unlike other comedians as Edgar Kennedy or Oliver Hardy, showing no moments of having a nervous breakdown. He simply takes it in stride and moves on to more frustrating episodes. That's our Buster.Like the masterful work in COPS, ONE WEEK was a familiar item of silent comedy shown frequently on public television in the 1970s, notably WNET, Channel 13, in New York City, with prints from the piano scoring Killian collection. In fact, ONE WEEK preceded the 60 minute feature presentation of Keaton's COLLEGE (1927) as part of the 13-week series of THE SILENT YEARS (1975) hosted by Lillian Gish.Aside from various prints on video cassette and DVD formats with organ or jazzy underscoring, ONE WEEK has appeared on cable television, most recently on Turner Classic Movies with orchestral score not quite suitable for this style of comedy. Regardless of its age, ONE WEEK holds up remarkable well, especially for Keaton devotees. First time viewers certainly will remember this within an hour, a day, or even one week after watching it. ONE WEEK sure has that certain something with lasting appeal, that certain something being the one and only Buster. (***)

Having read through every other comment, there's nothing much else to add as regards the plot. I came across this short on the 'college' special edition DVD which also contains 'The Blacksmith'. I'd seen both shorts previously on a cheap release. The superior quality of this release encouraged me to give a higher rating which isn't always the case.From start to finish, 'One Week' is a scream! The viewer never quite knows what will happen next, and generally is struck with the thought that "Well, I think I know what's going to happen, but surely it won't" - and it of course DOES happen !!! So many good gags, so many touching scenes that's it's difficult to pick one. If push comes to shove, I'll vote for the final one. 'One Week' always leaves me with the feeling that once is NOT enough; I just have to watch it again ...

How is it possible that 19 minutes of film can hold so much clever, fast paced comedy? I was blown away by not only the overpowering visual effects that set off the whirlwind ending inside the house, but also by some of the little touches that can be found throughout the film. There's one scene in particular that stuck with me as one of those fantastic little touches, it's when the bride (Sybil Seely, what a great name) is in the bathtub taking a bath and she accidentally drops the soap. As she innocently reaches over to pick the soap up from the bathroom floor, the cameraman sticks his hand over the lens to insure her privacy from those watching the movie. In a movie where there's a lot of wall building, it is a scene like this one where Buster successfully knocks down the proverbial fourth wall of film-making.There's really no point in trying to describe the amazing sight gags, the breath taking gymnastics and pratfalls that are all staples of a Buster Keaton comedy, you should just watch it for yourself. And as far as early Buster Keaton films are concerned, this one is a MUST SEE.10/10. Clark Richards