Day #302 - The Paleface (1922)
Viewed October 29, 2006
The Paleface is a pretty standard entry from Buster Keaton during his pre-feature days. It’s a funny little short about a white man who is taken for a god by a tribe on American Indians on the verge of losing their land to an oil baron.
There are plenty of Buster’s trademark visual jokes here, but also a bit more actual storyline than his films would have until he began making full-length features. The story of the Indians and their struggles is fairly well developed (for this type of film) and they come off as more than just typical stereotypes of the day.
Buster is good as always, but gets to play a stronger character than he often did, standing up to the oil barons and fighting for his new Indian brothers. Keaton has surrounded himself as usual with solid supporting actors, including a small, but memorable, turn by Virginia Fox as an Indian maid.
The Paleface isn’t going to go down in the annals as one of Keaton’s greatest, butit shows him at the peak of his game, in full control and knowing what to do with it. Thanks to its interesting story, it has a bit more appeal than other mid-level Keaton works and is certainly worth taking the time to see.