In The Goat, Buster Keaton is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and must run away from the police for a very long time.
The Goat is short on invention and plot (it’s basically one very long manic chase scene from start to end), but high on laughs and execution, with (almost) everything being done with fairly effortless grace and charm.
There’s some really beautiful shots, too, especially the train sequence (above) and Buster’s forlorn face on the wanted poster (below). And the scene on the horse sculpture is a wonderful piece of slow-motion bizarrity.
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Notes
1. I watched this on blu-ray, etc etc, and grabbe dthe screenshots from this version on youtube.
2. I’m getting a little concerned by Buster Keaton’s naming conventions for his films, really. The Scarecrow had about two minutes of scarecrow action, The Haunted House was set in a decidedly unhaunted bank for 50% of its runtime, and now in The Goat there are no goats at all.
3. Not even one.
4. I demand a refund.
5. Also this film features perhaps the best prison escape ever, where the murderer simply switches off the lights and runs away in the dark.
6. (PS: I have no idea if “bizarrity” is a word but I’m using it anyway you can’t stop me.)
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Film Information
Title: The Goat
Directors: Buster Keaton and Malcolm St. Clair
Year: 1921
Duration: 23 minutes
Watch: youtube