Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
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If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
best movie i've ever seen.
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
I've not seen many Buster Keaton movies, but "The Electric House" is one of the few I have seen. It's one of his short features, at about 23 minutes, and the gags here are similar to what you'd see in his "The Haunted House". Basically, the story here is that Keaton is hired to wire a house (but his engineering degree was awarded to him by mistake, so he really doesn't know much in the way of engineering). Still, Keaton manages to come up with all manner of inventions for the profit of his employers. The first 10 minutes of this movie are less slapsticky and are more demonstrations of the inventions than anything else. The gags come in later when the man who was meant to receive the degree comes back for revenge and creates chaos.I definitely agree with that other reviewer who said this wasn't Keaton's funniest. Since I've barely seen any of his work I can't really say that, but the slapstick here is again repetitive like always although it did have its moments such as when Keaton's head gets caught in the door. None of it was that funny but the thing is relatively enjoyable and a nice watch for Keaton fans. I really must see more of his work.(Note: One thing interesting to note here is that the film was originally shot in 1920 but couldn't be completed when Keaton broke his leg on the electric staircase. Because of this, completing the film was delayed two years).
It's funny; the other day I watched Buster Keaton's "College," which starts off with a high school graduation. My next Keaton movie, this one, begins with a college ceremony. Yes, once again, the graduates look more like their fathers than 22- year-old people.The degrees get mixed up somehow and the Dean thinks Buster has graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree and hires him to wire his house while he and the family go on vacation. Buster knows nothing about that sort of thing but reads a quick how-to-do-it book. The next thing we know, we see the house with all the gadgets.This was pretty amazing stuff. I didn't think they even had the technology in the early '20s to do this sort of thing. Shows you what I know. Anyway, we see all kinds of James Bond-type tricks from swimming pools that drain and refill within seconds to mechanical billiard tables to train tracks feeding the family. There too many of these crazy things (a bathroom on tracks going right to the bed was one of my favorites!) to list them all.Suffice to say they are fun to watch. Unfortunately, the real engineer gets wind of what happened, sneaks into the house and sabotages the gadgets while the family is showing them off to guests. Unfortunately (again), justice is not served in this film....or is it? There's a strange ending to this film, too, and makes me wonder if Buster wasn't a bit suicidal. I guess not, since he lived a fairly long time.There is no real plot in here; just gags....which is fine for a short film, except I found this was so fast-paced in the first half that by the 15-minute mark it seemed almost too long, if that's possible. It seemed like a long 22 minutes.
A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.THE ELECTRIC HOUSE Buster has just retrofitted with modern appliances is about to have a chaotic debut when some wires get crossed...One sight gag after another keeps this wonderful little film humming along. All of Buster's gadgets are funny when they operate correctly - they slip over the line into hilarity when things go wrong. Highlight: Buster trying to beat an obstinate escalator.Born into a family of Vaudevillian acrobats, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) mastered physical comedy at a very early age. An association with Fatty Arbuckle led to a series of highly imaginative short subjects and classic, silent feature-length films - all from 1920 to 1928. Writer, director, star & stuntman - Buster could do it all and his intuitive genius gave him almost miraculous knowledge as to the intricacies of film making and of what it took to please an audience. More akin to Fairbanks than Chaplin, Buster's films were full of splendid adventure, exciting derring-do and the most dangerous physical stunts imaginable. His theme of a little man against the world, who triumphs through bravery & ingenuity, dominates his films. Through every calamity & disaster, Buster remained the Great Stone Face, a stoic survivor in a universe gone mad.In the late 1920's Buster was betrayed by his manager/brother-in-law and his contract was sold to MGM, which proceeded to nearly destroy his career. Teamed initially with Jimmy Durante and eventually allowed small roles in mediocre comedies, Buster was for 35 years consistently given work far beneath his talent. Finally, before lung cancer took him at age 70, he had the satisfaction of knowing that his classic films were being rediscovered. Now, well past his centenary, Buster Keaton is routinely recognized & appreciated as one of cinema's true authentic geniuses. And he knew how to make people laugh...
A lot of Keaton's comedies feature a scene or two filled with creative and wacky gadgets that make you laugh and make you marvel at his inventiveness, all at the same time. This short comedy is entirely devoted to this kind of eccentric gadgetry, and while that means there isn't much of a plot, it's fun to watch. There's a subtle, funny mix-up at the beginning that results in Buster being entrusted with filling up a man's house with whatever electronic devices he can think of, and he really goes to it. "The Electric House" is a funny place to visit.