the scarecrow – Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog

Filibustering Keaton: The Scarecrow

Throughout The Scarecrow (1920), Buster Keaton employs elements of both realist and expressive styles of filmmaking, in order to create comedy in the most effective means possible.

Realist

The costume design used throughout is an accurate representation of 1920s America.
A multitude of commonly-found domestic appliances exist within the house, including: a record player, oven and a mirror.
One of the intertitles remarks upon women getting the vote in 1919, a recently occurring significant historical event at the time of release.
Coin operated gas meters were frequently found within apartment buildings, depicting a realist display of working class living standards.
As Keaton sets the table, a static long shot with deep focus captures the scene, providing an unbiased, objective view of the room. The viewer is able to freely view the frame.
The elaborate dual-function contraptions found within the house reference the illustrations of Rube Goldberg, which were popularised during the timeframe of release.
Both of the main characters are farmers, representing the poverty-stricken society of the time period. The laborious manual labour the characters must endure is juxtaposed by the Rube Goldberg machinery.
Both characters also wish to impress the same girl, demonstrating the patriarchal society of the time period, in addition to the duty held by many to settle down and start a family.
The film is shot on location, depicting a realist rural setting.
The chase sequence is filmed with a static long shot with deep focus, allowing the viewer to ‘cut with their eyes’.
The wild dog that appears within the film were commonly found within the 1920s rural setting depicted throughout the film. In addition, Keaton’s character fears the possibility of the dog being rabid – rabies being a commonly occurring disease within dogs during this time.
The titular scarecrow gag involves a commonly found decoy throughout American farmsteads with alcohol in its pocket. This is perhaps symbolic of the initiation of the Prohibition Era, which came into effect during the year of release (1920).
During the kicking gag, the camera remains static. This allows the viewer to freely focus upon each of the three actors as they see fit.

*An unbiased, objective view of the room achieved by using deep focus*

Expressive

The opening intertitle establishes the rural setting by illustratively describing the scene (“slowly and majestically the sun steals gradually over the hill-tops”) evoking a sense of romanticised pastoral imagery of the 1920s.
The opening wide shot of the sunrise is shot with fast motion, Keaton’s use of hyperbolic mise-en-scène symbolically illustrates the dawn of a new day.
A number of iris shots are utilised throughout the film, each directing the viewer’s attention towards a particular character or object.
Keaton’s loose tooth is conveyed to the viewer by an exaggerated head bandage, additionally setting up the slapstick door gag. Keaton alternates between wide shots and reactionary closeups as to direct the viewer’s attention towards the punchline of a joke.
The Rube Goldberg-inspired contraptions (including the fence prop) found within the house are extremely hyperbolic and unrealistic. These contraptions are used to create a sequence of surrealist gags, which are reminiscent of vaudeville theatre.
During the meal between Keaton and Roberts, the pair’s movements are highly choreographed in order to heighten the effect of the abstract gag.
The family of ducks bathing in the waste water is a highly unrealistic situation staged by Keaton in order to produce a comedic effect. This is also used to set up a later gag involving Keaton falling in the water in classic slapstick fashion.
An introductory closeup of Sybil’s character immediately focuses the viewer’s attention towards her.
The pace of editing quickens and fast motion is employed as the chase sequence ensues, manipulating the viewer’s emotions.
Roberts miraculously manages to survive the impact of being run over, this unrealistic scenario successfully creates comedy. He is later seen on comically hyperbolic crutches and immediately knocked over again, further accentuating the gag.
The scarecrow gag relies upon the viewer’s manipulated perspective in order to land. We are unable to see Keaton from the front, we therefore do not know he is the scarecrow. As the joke is repeated a second time, the viewer is in on the joke, creating a sense of comedic fulfilment.
Keaton demonstrates his daring athleticism by impressively walking through the river on his hands, juxtaposing Roberts’ comical fall.
The ‘accidental proposal’ is unrealistically successful, heightening the sheer absurdity of the scenario.
The fake horse gag further increases the sense of idiosyncrasy Keaton possesses.
The vicar just so happens to be conveniently standing on the side of the road, this unrealistic scenario further accentuates the expressive nonsensicality of the film.
The final iris shot centralises the viewer’s attention onto Keaton placing the makeshift wedding ring on Sybil’s finger.

*The marriage between the two characters is comical due to the extremely unrealistic situation in which they find themselves*

The High Sign (Buster Keaton, 1921)

The High Sign (Buster Keaton, 1921) is an American slapstick silent film starring and directed by Buster Keaton. Being a ‘two-reeler’, the film was shot using two reels of film and thus has a relatively short duration of 21 minutes. The film was actually Keaton’s first effort, but due to his disappointment with the final product, it was not released until a year after its completion.

Within the film, Keaton plays a nameless drifter who lands a job in a shooting gallery. We are then introduced to a gang known as the Blinking Buzzards who wish to kill a man named August Nickelnurser. Keaton is then employed by both the gang as an assassin, as well by Nickelnurser as his personal bodyguard. This results in an hyperbolically humorous ‘double-agent’ storyline.

*The endearingly comedic Blinking Buzzard hand sign*

The film features a more complex storyline than both One Week and The Scarecrow, incorporating much more realism than expressionism throughout. Although the story is much more authentic and grounded in reality, Keaton’s trademark use of fast motion, slapstick humour and elaborate sets are still ever present. For example, an array of revolving wall panels, trapdoors and hidden corridors are utilised by Keaton to grand comedic effect. To demonstrate this, Keaton utilises an unusual wide shot at one point in the film, exhibiting the four rooms of the funhouse simultaneously. Through this, the comedic pandemonium is displayed in a creatively unique way.

The appearance of the Blinking Buzzard gang in this film is also an accurate portrayal of the 1920s time period, during which many ex-soldiers led a life of violence and corruption after the war.

I thoroughly enjoyed The High Sign and preferred it to both One Week and The Scarecrow. I found the double-agent storyline to be Keaton’s most engaging work thus far and found the ending to be extremely fulfilling.

Overall, I would rate The High Sign ★★★★.

The Scarecrow (Buster Keaton, 1920)

The Scarecrow (Buster Keaton, 1920) is an American slapstick silent film starring and directed by Buster Keaton. Being a ‘two-reeler’, the film was shot using two reels of film and thus has a relatively short duration of 19 minutes.

Keaton plays a worker on a farm who is in competition with his housemate (Joe Roberts) to win over the farmer’s daughter (Sybil Seely). After a number of humorous shenanigans, Keaton’s character borrows a scarecrow’s clothes, after which he trips into a kneeling position in front of the daughter. She believes he is proposing to him, and they are quickly whisked away on a motorbike on which they swiftly get married.

*The comedic marriage at the end of the film*

Once again, Keaton incorporates elements of expressive filmmaking into an otherwise realist film. For example, the sunrise exhibited at the start of the film is shot using fast motion in order to hyperbolise reality in a comedic manner. Keaton also utilises a variety of elaborate set designs, such as the intricate Rube Goldberg-like devices featured within the house. Additionally, Keaton and Roberts’ performances are extremely melodramatic throughout and a multitude of dangerous stunts demonstrate their daring athleticism. Realism can be seen throughout the film through the characters’ attire – typical 20s clothes – as well as the fact that the setting is authentically rural.

*Keaton’s elaborate Rube Goldberg-esque set*

Personally, I enjoyed The Scarecrow a considerable amount. Although the set pieces did not match up to the scope of One Week, I enjoyed the slightly more realistic situations the characters found themselves in. The film was well-paced and managed to be consistently humorous throughout, with an especially satisfying ending.

Overall, I would rate The Scarecrow ★★★.

Component 2c: Silent Cinema

The third component we are studying is Component 2c: Silent Cinema. This section of the course entails four films of study, each directed by Buster Keaton – a renowned silent filmmaker. These include One Week (1920), The Scarecrow (1920), The High Sign (1921) and Cops (1922). Throughout this component, the areas of study are the core study areas (including the key elements, contexts, aesthetics and representation) as well as one specialist study area – Realist vs Expressive filmmaking. This specialist area of study focuses on how the emergence of film as a new art form led to filmmakers around the world taking a variety of starkly juxtaposing approaches to filmmaking.