re: Buster Keaton - unbelievable talent

Wait, he had a broken neck for over a decade?!? That had to hurt a little from time to time

Yeah, my problem with "Seven Chances," despite some good moments, s that it just seems too consciously 'constructed.' As if Keaton was so geared towards clever gags that the film left out a certain human element. Keaton did have this tendency as he went on, to have his leading ladies become just vapid little props. It's a shame (from my perspective), because I think his interplay with his love interests in "The Navigator" and "Our Hospitality" (another fave I forgot to mention) is pretty darned charming, and gives an extra bit of satisfying groundedness.

For ages all that could be seen of "College" and "Battling Butler" were pretty ratty-looking prints, and I never thought too much of them. Seeing vastly improved or restored copies of them helped boost my feeling for them, even though I think they're actually rather bland.

Keaton's talkie shorts for Educational are quite low-budget and threadbare, but one, "Grand Slam Opera" (1936), is really good fun, and well worth a look. I remember another short, "One Run Elmer" (1935) gave me a very big (if rather isolated) laugh. Keaton's later comedy shorts for Columbia are pretty suffocated by Columbia's house-style, but the initial entry, "Pest from the West" (1939) has some very good moments. I was glad I was able to talk to the film's heroine, Lorna Gray, and tell her that I enjoyed the film. Anyway, when it comes to the Columbia shorts, I think Charley Chase managed more successfully to bring his own persona and style of comedy into them. Keaton wasn't quite able to, other than that first aforementioned short.