After establishing his comic reputation in a series of shorts, in 1920
Buster Keaton made his first feature length film,
The Saphead, directed by Herbert Blaché. The film sees Keaton play a wealthy
young man so pampered he has no idea how to interact with the everyday world
around him.
Newly restored, The Saphead makes its UK blu-ray debut on
August 22nd, courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Bonus features include a new audio commentary with film historian and writer David Kalat;
a by Andrew Earle Simpson; a new video essay by David Cairns; an alternate version of
The Saphead, comprised entirely of variant takes and camera angles; a featurette
comparing the two versions; 1966's safety promo The Scribe, featuring Keaton's final screen appearance; a previously unheard audio
commentary on The Scribe with director John Sebert (recorded
before his death in 2015) and writer/silent cinema aficionado Chris
Seguin; a 2-hour audio interview with Keaton and film historian Kevin
Brownlow from 1964; a 90 minute 1958 interview with Keaton; a rare radio
interview with Keaton; and a collector’s booklet featuring new essays
by journalist Philip Kemp and film writer Imogen Sara Smith, as well as an
appreciation of The Saphead by film writer Eileen
Whitfield.
Check out Eureka's trailer below.
The official synopsis reads:
Buster Keaton stars as Bertie Van Alstyne, the pampered son of a powerful Wall Street financier (William H. Crane). Having known no other lifestyle but privilege, he wanders through a variety of misadventures—an attempt at courtship, a trip to an illegal gambling den, and a tumble onto the floor of the Stock Exchange—oblivious to the obstacles that stand before him.
