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Malec champion de tir

Original title: The High Sign
  • 1921
  • Not Rated
  • 20m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Buster Keaton in Malec champion de tir (1921)
SlapstickActionComedyShort

A drifter at an amusement park finds himself both the bodyguard and hit man of a man targeted by a criminal gang.A drifter at an amusement park finds himself both the bodyguard and hit man of a man targeted by a criminal gang.A drifter at an amusement park finds himself both the bodyguard and hit man of a man targeted by a criminal gang.

  • Directors
    • Edward F. Cline
    • Buster Keaton
  • Writers
    • Edward F. Cline
    • Buster Keaton
  • Stars
    • Buster Keaton
    • Bartine Burkett
    • Charles Dorety
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    3.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Edward F. Cline
      • Buster Keaton
    • Writers
      • Edward F. Cline
      • Buster Keaton
    • Stars
      • Buster Keaton
      • Bartine Burkett
      • Charles Dorety
    • 22User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos80

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    Top cast6

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    Buster Keaton
    Buster Keaton
    • Our Hero
    • (as 'Buster' Keaton)
    Bartine Burkett
    • Miss Nickelnurser
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Dorety
    Charles Dorety
    • Gang Member
    • (uncredited)
    Ingram B. Pickett
    • Tiny Tim
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Roberts
    Joe Roberts
    • Leader of Buzzards
    • (uncredited)
    Al St. John
    Al St. John
    • Man on Beach During Target Practice
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Edward F. Cline
      • Buster Keaton
    • Writers
      • Edward F. Cline
      • Buster Keaton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    7.63.8K
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    Featured reviews

    Kirpianuscus

    great

    It is a simple word in this case because all is just amazing. The melancholic traits of story, the gags, the fight scenes, the portrait of the good guy front to huge challenges and the sign of recognition. Buster Keaton is so talented and his talent gives so splendid results, than each comment seems unfair for the imposibility of ordinary condescendence to an old short film about silly situations. The craft is high and the manner to use the humor almost fascinating. So, a too modern short film.
    7captnemo

    More proof that Keaton was better than Chaplin

    This little gem of a movie is chock full of inventive gags that will keep you laughing. There are the usual physical ones, such as the house and its many entrances/exits. What had me intrigued were some of the sight gags as well. The dog and the bell was amazing to watch. Each and every corner in Keaton's world has something wondrous around it. The man was an amazing athlete, and it shows here. Watch for the weird guns throughout the film. They don't make sense but then again they don't have to.
    9Tetsel

    Highly entertaining bit of comedy

    Although "The High Sign" is a short film and not very well known, in many ways it is one of Keaton's best. It is non-stop entertainment, especially because the plot is very nearly irrelevant and the gags are so constant. What makes this so special in the development of movie comedy are the shooting gallery scene and the trapdoor house. These are examples of quintessential American slapstick, and they have been copied hundreds of time since 1921. There is also one small special effect in the midst of all the comedy that really caught my eye: Someone spikes Keaton's drink with either alcohol/poison (we are not told) and Keaton sips it. He can tell it is spiked, and looks into the cup, and we see in the drink the image of the rear of a horse kicking it's hind legs. This obvious allusion to the 'drink with a kick' is not only funny, but it is the essence of cinema: show not tell. I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a short, innovative, hilarious comedy.
    Snow Leopard

    Pleasantly Silly & Very Funny

    This is the kind of pleasantly silly and very funny film that typifies the very best of these old silent short slapstick comedies. It's fast-paced and filled with clever gags, and a couple of especially hilarious scenes. It starts when Buster tricks everyone into thinking that he is a crack shot, and thus finds himself hired by a rich miser to be his bodyguard, while also being recruited by a gang of criminals (the 'Blinking Buzzards', who go around saluting each other with the 'High Sign') to assassinate the same man. There's not much else to the plot, which is mostly a setup for a lot of zany antics. It's funny all the way through, and there is some especially good use of props and settings in this one. It's just slapstick fun, nothing to take seriously, but slapstick doesn't come much better. This is highly recommended for fans of silent short comedies.
    8ccthemovieman-1

    What A Predicament!

    This begins with Buster being a crook. First, he steals a newspaper from a man riding a merry-go-round. It turns out to be the biggest newspaper you have ever seen! He sees a "help wanted" ad for a worker in a shooting gallery. You must be "crack shot." Buster isn't, of course, but he cheats again and gets the job, thanks to a little (and very clever) scheme with a little dog. (Buster is not an honest man in this movie, but he sure is resourceful!).

    The arcade is run by a giant of a man (Charles Dorety?) who is a member of the Blinking Buzzards, a brutal secret group of extortionists and hit men. One of the men on their hit list is the town tightwad: "August Nickelnurser." The latter, knowing his days are numbered, walks by the arcade, sees Buster, and hires him as his bodyguard. The big villain-arcade owner (no name was ever given him) comes back, takes Buster to the Buzzards hideout, makes him a member and gives him his first assignment: kill Nickelnurser.

    Holy cow - Buster is both the bodyguard and the hired assassin for the same man!!! What to do?

    This fantastic premise - to be played out in the second half of the film, doesn't really get going until the final few minutes, unfortunately. We have to sit through a few meaningless scenes back at the arcade. However, when Buster, the target and his cute daughter, and all the Buzzards all wind up in the same house - a great house filled with trap doors....the finish is fantastic!

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in Y a-t-il un flic pour sauver la reine ? (1988)
    Slapstick
    Bruce Willis in Piège de cristal (1988)
    Action
    Will Ferrell in Présentateur vedette: La légende de Ron Burgundy (2004)
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    Short

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Included in "Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection" blu-ray set, released by Kino.
    • Goofs
      When Buster comes back from the gang's room to the shooting gallery (9:45 min), there is nothing on the wall between the two posters. But after he climbs over the counter, his coat is now hanging on the wall.
    • Quotes

      Narration Card: The brutal bungalow of the Blinking Buzzards, a bold bad bunch of blood-thirsty bandits who would break into a bank, blow a battleship to bits or beat up a blue eyed baby blonde.

    • Alternate versions
      Film Preservation Associates copyrighted a version in 1995 containing a music score and sound effects, with a running time of 21 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 18, 1921 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The 'High Sign'
    • Filming locations
      • Venice Pier, Ocean Walk Front at Washington Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Joseph M. Schenck Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 20m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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