The Saphead (1920)

Directors:

Herbert Blaché
Winchell Smith

Writers:

Bronson Howard (original play "The Henrietta")
Victor Mapes (play)
(more)

Release Date:

September 1920 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Stock Exchange | Infidelity | Gambling | Broadway Manhattan New York City

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Edward Jobson	...	Reverend Murray Hilton
Beulah Booker	...	Agnes Gates
Edward Connelly	...	Mr. Musgrave
Edward Alexander	...	Watson Flint
Irving Cummings	...	Mark Turner
Odette Taylor	...	Mrs. Cornelia Opdyke
Carol Holloway	...	Rose Turner
Jack Livingston	...	Dr. George Wainright
William H. Crane	...	Nicholas Van Alstyne
Buster Keaton	...	Bertie Van Alstyne
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Katherine Albert	...	Hattie (uncredited)
Henry Clauss	...	Valet (uncredited)
Alfred Hollingsworth	...	Hathaway (uncredited)
Helen Holte	...	Henrietta Reynolds (uncredited)
Jeffrey Williams	...	Hutchins (uncredited)

Directed by
Herbert Blaché
Winchell Smith

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bronson Howard		original play "The Henrietta"
Victor Mapes		play "The New Henrietta"
June Mathis		scenario
Winchell Smith		play "The New Henrietta"

Produced by
John Golden	....	producer
Marcus Loew	....	producer
Winchell Smith	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Israel		(1995)

Cinematography by
Harold Wenstrom

Art Direction by
F.H. Webster

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marcel De Sano	....	assistant director

Music Department
Robert Israel	....	musical director (1995 edition)

Other crew
Raymond Rohauer	....	presenter (new version)

Production Companies

• Metro Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Metro Pictures Corporation (1920) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Svenska Biografteaterns Filmbyrå (1923) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:15

Company:

Metro Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Feature-film debut of Buster Keaton.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bertie's car pulls up to the house after the aborted wedding, the front gate is closed, but when he gets out of the car it is wide open.

Quotes:

Bertie:I'm good. I've tried my best to get over it - but I can't - and I still kneel down and say my prayers every morning - before I go to bed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

Just look at how he stares from that picture!

A bit old fashioned for today's standards this little gem manages to hold our interest for the very young but very talented comic genius Keaton. Before he would go on writing and/or directing his greatest movie Keaton acted in this role of the multimillionaire son of a Wall-Street broker, unprepared to meet the demands of the world but very good natured on the other hand. One of the first images that made me laugh was when we see his picture in which he appears as utterly confused of what's going on before him. What I always appreciated at Keaton was his talent to appear completely out of tune with the world surrounding him. For the rest of the world he seems "goofy" but it is seen at close analysis that it may be the world that is paradoxical and confused and so Buster's reaction to it seems justified.

The cinematography and direction are nothing special and the story is just another nice and sweet romance with a touch of humor that was very common in the twenties. The best part of the movie is, arguably, the last twenty minutes or so when Keaton, who bought a seat on the floor with 100 thousand $ because "furniture is expensive nowadays", battles the lions on Wall-Street literally. This is a great episode, anticipation of great things to come with its use of physical humor and slapstick as metaphors for deeper ideas.