Film #133 - Convict 13 (1920)
Viewed May 13, 2006
Convict 13 is one of Buster Keaton’s earliest solo shorts and it’s a fine one. Knocked unconcious during a golf game, Buster has his clothes taken by an escaped convict and finds himself in jail in the convict’s place. He spends the rest of the film trying to get out again, while protecting his girlfriend (the warden’s daughter) from a vicious fellow convict.
Buster uses his athleticism to great effect, as usual, and his considerable screen presence carries the film through its flimsy plot. Buster’s gags are, not surprisingly, still reminiscent of the ones he did for Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, but he begins to put a greater emphasis on the hugeness of the stunts.
The rest of the cast is relegated to simple portrayals. Sybil Seely (the daughter) is pleasant enough, but never gets a chance to expand her role beyond the basics. Joe Roberts is an impressive figure as the crazed prisoner, but is little more than a force of nature for the rest to deal with.
But none of that detracts from an excellent short. Even this early on, Buster shows how well he grasps the potential of film, with this short already showing improvement over most of the work he did with Arbuckle. Convict 13 is a great early film and no Keaton or silent comedy fan should miss it.