Our Hospitality (1923)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Directors:

John G. Blystone
Buster Keaton

Writers:

Jean C. Havez (story) &
Clyde Bruckman (story) ...

Release Date:

19 November 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

A man returns to his Appalachian homestead. On the trip, he falls for a young woman. The only problem is her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.

Plot Keywords:

Feud | Train | Kentucky | Waterfall | Rescue

Cast

Joe Roberts	...	Joseph Canfield
Ralph Bushman	...	Canfield's Son
Craig Ward	...	Canfield's Son
Monte Collins	...	The Parson
Joe Keaton	...	The Engineer
Kitty Bradbury	...	Aunt Mary
Natalie Talmadge	...	The Girl - Canfield's Daughter
Buster Keaton Jr.	...	Willie McKay - 1 Year Old
Buster Keaton	...	Willie McKay - 21 Years Old

Runtime:

73 min (1995 alternate version) | Spain:65 min | Belgium:87 min (copy with French titles at Brussels Musée du Cinéma)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:K-3 | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Truckee River, California, USA

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Trivia:

The diminutive steam engine used in the film was a faithful, mechanically accurate re-creation of Stephenson's Rocket. Equally accurate was the replica of the early bicycle ridden by Willie near the start of the film - so accurate, in fact, that according to Buster Keaton it was requested by the Smithsonian Institute for display.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the donkey refuses to move from the rail tracks, the engineer and others curve the tracks around him. The long shot that shows the train moving past the donkey, however, shows the tracks back in a straight line.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bowfinger (1999)

Amazing!

In the Nineteenth Century, there is a feud between the McKay and Canfield families in the country of the United States of America. When John McKay is killed, his wife sends their one years old baby Willie to New York to be raised by her sister. Twenty years later, Willie McKay (Buster Keaton) returns to claim for his family state. Along the train travels, he meets a young lady and they fall in love for each other. However, she is the youngest Canfield and her family has not forgotten the quarrel against the McKays.

"Our Hospitality" is amazing even in the present days. Without use of computer, as the present generation has accustomed to see on the screen, Buster Keaton participates of fantastic timing scenes using his physical capability, such as in the waterfall, or in the train water-tank. Further, there is a very interesting scenario, showing the crossroad between Broadway and Forty-Second Streets in New York based on a 1830 painting. Willie's dog, his bicycle and the funny train are other attractions of this great movie. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Nossa Hospitalidade" ("Our Hospitality")