Fatty cuisinier

Although I am somewhat biased towards Harold Lloyd, I'm SERIOUSLY infatuated with Fatty Arbuckle comedies now. With a man his size, he was enormously agile, fearless and funny. This is plainly evident in The Cook, a classic example of his often riotous teamings with Stone Face, Buster Keaton. Essentially a bunch of gags which revolve around a restaurant, then an amusement park, Arbuckle just astounded me with his stunt work and clever slight of hand (his cooking stills was outstanding!). And oh dear, this movie is too funny. Many many pratfalls, comedic situations, and great comedic timing.. Seek it out if you can, it's a riot.

This is one movie I never will forget. It scores a 10 in all departments: Choreography (unbelievable !), Pacing (Fast and Accurate), Weird (the rendition of "salome" with kitchen stuff as costume, coming out of nowhere, is by far the most decadent stuff to be ever put on a Silent Movie - I mean: Fatty Arbuckle is Genius !) I would have wanted to roll on the floor laughing but it was not possible, because I couldn't get my eyes off the screen, I was THAT amazed by the furious things Buster and Fatty are doing all the time. The humor is outstanding. This Masterpiece was long time vanished, but for god's sake found again. It was the first movie I saw from Fatty, so after that I was a huge fan of him. And Buster - never saw a guy who was more fitting in Slapstick. This Movie is one hell of a ride - GO SEE IT !!!!!

The pairing of Buster Keaton and Roscoe Arbuckle was fast becoming the most popular attraction on the movie screen in 1918. Fans flocked to the theaters in droves to witness the latest antics of the two genius comedians. Once the call for Americans to volunteer for the Great War kicked in earnest, Keaton decided to enlist in the United States Army. His reporting date for training at Camp Kearney, California, was July 24, 1918.

Before leaving, Keaton filmed what would be his final movie for several months, "The Cook," released in September 1918. Taking elements from his earlier 1916 "The Waiter's Ball," Arbuckle returned to familiar grounds of being a cook in a restaurant while expanding upon scenes in an amusement park. "The Cook" also served as showcase for one of the first inside jokes of a parody from a recent popular film, Theda Bara's "Cleopatra" of the previous year. Fatty dresses up like the Egyptian queen using kitchen implements and imitates Bara's emotional death scene by taking a long string of sausages, symbolizing an asp, and applying the end of the link onto his breast underneath a frying pan. Frustrated by the ineffectual poison of the meat, Arbuckle proceeds to eat the entire sausage link.

Keaton was shipped out to Europe after his training session in California. During his tour overseas, he slept in drafty tents, resulting in deafness in one ear. When the war was over in November 1918, the Army brass decided to keep the film star in Europe to entertain the remaining troops. His most popular act was "The Snake Dance," where Buster was dressed as an Egyptian dancer engaging with Theo The Snake--a long length of link sausage. If that sounds familiar, the sequence is exactly what appeared in "The Cook" when Keaton was dancing with Arbuckle in the kitchen appearing as ancient hopalong Egyptians.

Until 1998, this short silent comedy starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle with support from Buster Keaton and Al St. John was considered lost. Watch in amazement as Arbuckle tosses food to Keaton who just catches them on his plate effortlessly. Watch them both dance to the music of the jazz band as Buster impersonates the female dancer next to him and Roscoe does the same with Buster while fitting pots and pans and broom and dustpan on himself. Oh, and throw in some sausage and cabbage while you're at it! By the way, the most shockingly funny bit was when Arbuckle almost chops Buster's neck off! You'll just have to watch this short to know what I mean. I did notice some scenes still missing like when Buster was taking that bass from one of the African-American musicians and was targeting it at St. John. The later amusement park scenes also had some missing sequences though the titles explained what happened at the end. That setup wasn't as funny though there were still some decent laughs. So on that note, I recommend The Cook.

The epitome of Arbuckle and Keaton's flash-over-substance tendencies. Every last storytelling beat exists solely to maneuver the comic duo into a new backdrop for adlibs and pratfalls. Silent comedy two-reelers will never be known for their rich themes and steep character arcs, but The Cook seems egregious even by those low standards.

Which isn't to say it's without merit. Actually, I really enjoyed myself. The bulk of the film finds our heroes working a high-end restaurant - Arbuckle in the kitchen, Keaton waiting tables - and, despite revisiting a few bits from their first partnership in 1917's The Butcher Boy, remains largely original, averaging a laugh every quarter-minute. It's stuffed with comic gold, from the little throwaway gags (Fatty tossing finished meals over his shoulder, Buster smoothly snatching them from the air) to the more elaborate productions (an explosive, dish-smashing dance number before a raucous dining room). Arbuckle's famous pet bull terrier, distinguished enough to merit his own lengthy Wikipedia entry, even enjoys a few wonderful guest spots as the mayhem spills out to the streets and beyond.

The Cook is great fun - pure, unchained visceral comedy - if you can shut your mind to the dumb plot and just enjoy the sheer physical spectacle of it all.