The Cameraman (1928)

Director:

Edward Sedgwick

Writers:

Clyde Bruckman (story)
Joseph Farnham (titles)

Release Date:

22 September 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Family | Drama

Plot:

After becoming infatuated with a pretty office worker for MGM Newsreels, Buster trades in his tintype...

Plot Keywords:

Boat Accident | Policeman | Film Making | Double Decker Bus | Film Camera

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Buster
Marceline Day	...	Sally
Harold Goodwin	...	Stagg
Sidney Bracey	...	Éditor (as Sidney Bracy)
Harry Gribbon	...	Cop

Runtime:

67 min | USA:75 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The first film that Buster Keaton made with a prepared script.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buster breaks the glass in the door for the first time, the remaining pieces change in between shots.

Quotes:

Sally Richards: [advice to the aspiring cameraman] You must always grind forward... never backward.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992) (mini)

Pure anarchy

Keaton's "The Cameraman" is one of his very finest. The first picture he made after his newly inked contract with MGM, this is generally considered to be his last masterpiece. It is reminiscent of some of his early slapstick works: there's a pure anarchistic glee throughout that finally explodes in an incredible scene involving a monkey, a movie camera, and Keaton amidst a full-fledged Chinese gang war (!) that must surely go down as one of the most ambitious gags anyone has ever attempted. But the whole film is great fun and would make a wonderful double bill with "Sherlock Jr." though the MGM print of "The Cameraman" is far inferior to the Kino print of "Sherlock" (or most other existing Keaton films for that matter). Regardless, a mediocre print is better than none at all and this deserves to be seen because it's nothing less than genius.