weezeralfalfa Review of Sherlock Jr.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Keaton blurrs the distinction between movies and dreaming

[7/10 · 3 October 2018]

At only 45min., this silent comedy isn't that much longer than some 3 reel comedy shorts, yet, it apparently qualifies as a feature-length film. I don't see this film as being greatly superior to the many Keaton comedy shorts I've seen. .......It starts out very slow, with Keaton and his girl sitting together for an eternity, not knowing what to say to the other. Finally, Keaton gives her a cheap engagement ring. Keaton is a mere movie projectionist, who dreams of becoming a detective in the class of Sherlock Holmes........I thought the $1.00 bill caper was cute, if unrealistic. Keaton wants to buy a $3. box of candy for his girl, but he only has $2. Luckily, he finds a $1 bill in his sweepings, also being the theater janitor. Unluckily, a women comes, complaining she lost a $1 bill in the theater, and he gives it to her. Then, another woman shows up claiming she also lost a $1 bill in the theater. Keston gives her his $1 bill. Then a mean-looking man shows up wanting to look through his sweepings. Keaton hands him his last $1. bill, but he refuses. Looking through the trash, he spies a wallet with some greenbacks in it, and goes off with it. Keaton then spreads the trash out, looking for another wallet. But, of course, he doesn't find such. Thus, he goes to the store, and buys the $1. box of candy. However, he converts the $1. price tag into a $4, to impress his girl. But, this deception will return to haunt him........While Keaton is talking to his girl, his competitor(villain) , in the form of Ward Crane, arrives, in a splendid outfit, and bringing a bigger box of candy, as well as a more impressive engagement ring. Keaton is relegated to the hall. Soon, the girl's father reports that his gold watch is missing. The Villain slips the receipt for the watch he hocked at the pawn shop into Keaton's jacket pocket. Then, Keaton says he will act as a detective, and search every one. The Villain requests him to also search himself, and he finds the pawn receipt, which says $4 for the watch., which matches the $4 price tag on the candy box. Keaton is requested by the girl's father to leave and never return. ........Still imagining himself to be a detective, Keaton shadows The Villain, as the most likely suspect, in his mind. Eventually, he winds up in a boxcar, locked in by The Villain. Luckily, there is a hatch in thr roof. Just then, the train pulls out of the station. Keaton runs along the top of the cars to keep him near the water tower. When he runs out of cars, he jumps onto the tower dispenser, which lowers and begins to release water, which practically drowns Keaton(Keaton suffered a serious neck injury in this event.) . He then runs back to his projectionist job, where he soon dozes off.......Meanwhile, his girl goes to the pawn shop with the receipt and asks the pawnbroker what the man who traded the watch looked like. He was tall and had a black moustache, which fit the description of The Villain, but not Keaton. She was satisfied that Keaton was telling the truth that he knew nothing about the watch pawning........Some reviewers say they are confused which events take place in his upcoming dream, and which really happened. According to my notes, the dream begins about the 20min. mark and lasts until the 41min. mark, just a few minutes before the ending. Among other things, Keaton dreams he walks into the movie sceen and interacts a bit with the actors. Then, he is thrust into various odd or dangerous situations, in which his pose at the end of one situation carries over to the beginning of the next situation. ......He dreams that the Villain steals a pearl necklace from his girl's mother. He takes this to a shack where his confederate thieves hideout. Keaton shows up at the hideout. Initially, captured, he breaks loose, and grabs the pearls The Villain is dangling before him, and runs.........The next gag has Keaton cornered in an alley by several of the gang. He jumps into the belly of a tie salesman, standing behind him and disappears. The gang finally find him hiding behind a rotating section of the wood fence behind. He runs, and the gang chases him. A cop on a motorcycle appears and invites him to ride on his handlebars. Soon, the cop is bumped off, without Keaton knowing it, and the cycle negotiates around various obstacles without Keaton's help, until it comes to the shack where Keaton's girl is being held, where it rockets him into the shack, he hitting the guard. Soon, the gang arrives in a car. They trick the gang, and take their car, which ends up in a lake: just the top part, which sails a ways before sinking. Keaton wakes up, and his girl arrives to tell him she believes him innocent of stealing the watch.. The movie on the screen is about to end, with the man hugging and kissing the woman. Keaton imitates what they do on the screen , with his girl. The end.