Buster Keaton ist nicht totzukriegen

Far from it in my view. Buster Keaton did many short films, while not all of them entirely worked (yet still with recommendable aspects) the best of them are up there, or at least close to being, with the best of his feature films. Keaton himself was a genius, often hilarious, extremely bold (back then and even now) and his deadpan delivery is near-unrivalled. As others have said, he considered the for a long time lost 'Hard Luck' his favourite of his short films.

Personally do not agree with him there. While preferring it over 'The Balloonatic', 'The Frozen North' and 'The Love Nest', there is a vast preference for 'The Scarecrow', 'The Goat', 'The Playhouse' and 'The Boat' ('Neighbors' and 'Cops' too if not quite as much). 'Hard Luck' is good fun and above average, and Keaton himself does not disappoint, but it is not one of Keaton's overall funniest, most imaginative or boldest and the story is severely flawed.

Due to it feeling very disjointed, muddled and almost incomplete-feeling, some of it coming over as quite cobbled together as well. Humour-wise, it's all executed very well and there is nothing unfunny here actually.

Just not much that is peak Keaton, hilarious or daring (well other than the subject by today's standards regarding the latter). When one thinks of iconic moments from Keaton's short and feature films, there is not much here in 'Hard Luck' that would be on that list for me. Though the ending comes close.

'Hard Luck' looks good though with nice photography and the physical comedy never looks haphazard captured on film. The supporting cast do well, with a charming Virginia Fox (though her role is underwritten and plot-device-like) and menacing Joe Roberts, regular Keaton co-stars, supporting Keaton typically solidly. Keaton's performance is both full of life and moving and what there is of his physical comedy amazes.

While not as hilarious or inventive as other Keaton works, 'Hard Luck' still amuses and the lauded final gag is great. The now quite controversial subject of suicide and doing it through comedy is handled tastefully and the pacing didn't feel dull (though inevitably there was some jumpiness).

In conclusion, above average but not one of Keaton's best. 7/10

Hard Luck (1921)

**** (out of 4)

Complete version

A down on his luck and depressed Buster Keaton tries to commit suicide but even has hard luck at that. This is probably my favorite Keaton short and while a few of the jokes don't work the majority of them are right on the money and hilarious. There are countless memorable scenes here including the attempt to hang himself, jumping in front of the "car" and the wonderful stunts with the horse towards the end. This was my first time watching the complete version of this, which shows what happens when Keaton jumps off the high dive (it was missing from earlier versions). I had never read or heard what happened in this once lost segment but the wait was certainly worth it because the gag is among the most mind numbing stunts in Keaton's career.

It seems a puzzle. Different pieces together, the genius of Buster Keaton as glue, the unlucky poor man and his adventures. Significant- it is the right expected film. Rediscovered in 1987, it represents new proof of perfect art , in which the gags , performances and adventure are windows to a fascinating creation process and trip across the sensitivity of a time.

The film was long time lost, until it was restored in the '80s with the final scene still missing. That final scene (which Keaton himself called 'the greatest laugh-getting scene of his career') was later found, and now the film can be enjoyed in it's entirety with the fantastic scene of Buster diving into the pool, but missing it.

Buster stars as out of luck guy who has lost his job and girlfriend, so he tries different methods of taking his own life until he drinks from the bottle which says 'poison'. Luckily for Buster, the bottle contained whiskey that waiter of the restaurant hid from others. Drunken Buster crashes in to the meeting where zoologists discuss the need of including new species among their exhibits. Buster agrees to take the task and all new set of exciting adventures begin.

Buster Keaton often cited Hard Luck (1921) as his favorite among his independent short film work, the reason being that the twist ending gave him the biggest laugh of his career, with people still laughing over it on their way out of the movie house. In hindsight, the film is not that wonderful, including the ending, but it is not without merits. The first part is a classic example of "suicide comedy," a controversial subject for us nowadays, but back then, an inept fellow trying to rub himself out in humorous ways was rather common in short subjects. Harold Lloyd and even Mickey Mouse indulged in this sort of gallows humor too. The rest of the film is funny, but not as imaginative or clever as Keaton's best short film work.