Hard Luck

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.

'Hard Luck (1921)' is a very unusual Buster Keaton short, and I'll demonstrate this with a very brief synopsis. Down-on-his-luck Buster, having just lost his love and livelihood, resolves to end his life. This proves more difficult than anticipated. After several incredibly droll failed suicide attempts, Buster escapes the need to kill himself by accidentally getting drunk. He staggers into a meeting of zoo staff, and promptly accepts their challenge to capture the ultra-rare armadillo for the zoo's animal collection ("I was on a branch of the zoo!"). Buster then goes fishing, presumably to catch an armadillo, though that subplot is never mentioned again. Buster then wanders into a country club, where he spots a pretty girl (Virginia Fox) embarking on a fox-hunt, and decides to do the same. Later, an evil fugitive named Lizard Lip Luke (Joe Roberts) takes the girl hostage, and Buster saves the day.

Our hero quickly proposes to the rescued damsel-in-distress, but, on hearing of her current marriage, he decides to do some high-diving into a swimming pool (that, without exaggeration, is all the transition we are afforded between these two plot-points). The film's final gag, believed lost for years, has recently been restored, and allegedly brought Buster Keaton his most rapturous audience response: certainly, it comes completely out of left-field! In fact, so bizarre was this conclusion that it made me rethink my original stance on the film as a whole. Beforehand, I was inclined to view 'Hard Luck' as a collection of random gags clumsily cobbled together into a two-reeler. However, something tells me now that the anarchy of Keaton's storyline was very much intended. This is cinematic insanity in the same vein as 'Hellzapoppin' (1941)' or the Marx Brothers.

Slight correction for the previous review (though admittedly it came before the actual discovery). The long-lost missing scenes (Keaton walloping the cement in the pool-dive sequence, his return with Chinese wife and child, both cute BTW) WERE found in a French archive (will have to check which one), albeit in terrible-but-watchable shape, and were restored on a special compilation DVD of Keaton rarities (home movies, TV appearances, cameos, and some restored films, including the missing scenes from "Daydreams").

The title is "Keaton Plus"...I found it circulating in the Buffalo Public Library. Not sure of the date, but would probably be between 2001 to 2004. And yes, it's released by Kino Video (in association with the Rohauer and Keaton estates, etc.) It's gratifying to know that the cherry on the top of Keaton's fantastic cinema career in the 20s has survived (barely, but serviceable), and it's a short, sweet coda for such a majestic American comedy talent.

This short comedy only exists now in a fragmented form, which is too bad, but it's still fun to watch. The restoration on Kino video pieces together almost the entire film, with notes to explain the parts that could no longer be found. It has Buster as a despondent victim of "Hard Luck", and combines some good morbid gags with a series of silly adventures. Because what's left is quite choppy, it will best be enjoyed by those who are used to very old films, but it has some good material and a couple of very funny scenes. Most Keaton fans should enjoy it.

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.