Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-1923 - DVD

As new generations of viewers discover the magic of silent cinema, Buster Keaton has emerged as one of the era's most admired and respected artists. Behind the deadpan expression and trademark porkpie hat was a filmmaking genius who conceived and engineered some of the most breathtaking stunts and feats of visual trickery, while never losing sight of slapstick cinema s primary objective laughter. Produced by Lobster Films, BUSTER KEATON THE SHORTS COLLECTION includes all 32 of Keaton s extant silent shorts (thirteen of which were produced in collaborations with comedians Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle and Al St. John). These 2K restorations were performed utilizing archival film elements from around the world, and promises to be the definitive representation of Keaton s early career.

This collection features three film noir classics MAN AFRAID (1957) - Noir greats George Nader (Six Bridges to Cross, Appointment with a Shadow) and director Harry Keller (The Unguarded Moment, The Female Animal) come together for Man Afraid, a heart-stopping CinemaScope noir about a preacher ensnared in fear. When Reverend David Collins (Nader) and his wife Lisa (Phyllis Thaxter, Act of Violence) catch a burglar in their son's room, the ensuing struggle ends with an injury to Lisa's eyes and David unintentionally killing the thief. The Collins struggle with the resulting publicity, David's own conscience, Lisa's temporary blindness... and the burglar's vengeful father (Eduard Franz, Cyborg 2087) who begins to stalk their son Michael (Tim Hovey, Queen Bee). The tense revenge-noir Man Afraid features a score by the great Henry Mancini (Touch of Evil). THE GIRL IN THE KREMLIN (1957) - Moscow, 1953. Four terrified women prisoners are brought before Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who picks the beautiful Dasha and proceeds to punish her by shaving off her long, black hair. Moments later, a plastic surgeon leads Stalin into an operating room and transforms his face into something new. So begins the story of the world's greatest conspiracy The Girl in the Kremlin, a harrowing Cold War noir starring Lex Barker (The Price of Fear, The Girl in Black Stockings) and Zsa Zsa Gabor (Touch of Evil, Picture Mommy Dead). When Stalin alters his appearance, fakes his own death and vanishes, ex-O.S.S. agent Steve Anderson (Barker) and Lithuanian refugee Lili Grisenko (Gabor) lead the manhunt across Europe. Directed by Russell Birdwell (The Come On) and featuring Maurice Manson (The Creature Walks Among Us) in a chilling performance. THE TATTERED DRESS (1957) - In this CinemaScope film noir from director Jack Arnold (The Incredible Shrinking Man, Man in the Shadow), top lawyer James Bla

Buster Keaton, The Great Stone Face of Comedy, stars in three more of his immortal silent classics 'The Navigator' (1924), 'Seven Chances' (1925), and 'College' (1927). Plus four of Buster's brilliant silent comedy shorts.