Neighbors (1920)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Edward F. Cline
Buster Keaton

Writers:

Edward F. Cline (written by)
Buster Keaton (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 December 1920 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Silent Film

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	The Boy
Virginia Fox	...	The Girl
Joe Roberts	...	Her Father
Joe Keaton	...	His Father
Edward F. Cline	...	The Cop
James Duffy	...	The Judge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Flying Escalantes	...	Themselves

Also Known As:

Backyard (USA)
Mailbox (USA)

Runtime:

18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Spain:T

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Quotes:

The Boy: Her father's abused her long enough. I want to marry her and take her home to MY father!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987) (TV)

Over The Back Fence With Mr. Keaton

A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.

Buster's romance with the pretty girl across the back fence leads to great trouble with the NEIGHBORS.

Keaton's superb athletic abilities are highlighted in this very funny little film. The backs of the tenement houses were constructed to Buster's exact physical specifications, giving him hand & foot holds precisely where he would need them, allowing him to climb, slide, cling, tumble, etc., culminating in the hilarious three-man high stunts that climax the film. Big Joe Roberts plays the beefy papa of Buster's beloved.

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...