The Invader

... as this is one of the few bad films Keaton ever did. After being fired from MGM at the height of the Great Depression, Keaton easily found roles in shorts such as those he did at Educational Pictures, but starring roles were hard to come by. Partly this was because of the Depression itself, partly it was because Keaton was still seen as a silent star, but some of the problem was with the fact that Keaton had a problem with alcohol that was almost suicidal during the early and mid 30's. When this film was made his illness was at its height.

The producer, Sam Spiegel, made some great films in the 1950's. In 1934, however, he was under-financed, inexperienced, and basically did not know what he was doing. There simply was not enough story to fill up a feature length film. Thus we have painfully prolonged scenes such as Lupita Tovar's dance scene at the club near the beginning of the film. Are there funny moments by Buster here? Sure there are, mainly because although Buster did not get writing credit, the story was his own. There's still not enough good material to make up for sitting through all of the padding. To see a recovered Keaton do his best material from this prolonged film in a more appropriate 20 minute short, see the Columbia short "Pest From the West". Both this film and that short are available on DVD.

Old Spanish Custom, An (1935)

BOMB (out of 4)

Extremely cheap British film about a stupid American (Buster Keaton) who flirts with another man's wife and then must do a Spanish custom by challenging him to a duel. This is an extremely bad film on all levels from the cheap production to the horrid direction to the screenplay, which really only allows Keaton to have water thrown on him. There's not a single laugh to be found but there's plenty of tears having to see Keaton doing stuff like this.

You can find this film on the Buster Keaton Laughsmith set.

The Invader is practically a silent movie, and most of the dialogue could have been taken care of with a few well-placed title cards like in the olden days. For the first twenty minutes of the movie, the leading man doesn't even talk. Finally, when Buster Keaton opens his mouth, he stammers over the word "Senorita" when trying to speak Spanish to Lupita Tovar. It turns out she speaks English, so he doesn't have to worry for the rest of the movie. He does try to woo Lupita by singing, but his rival throws things at him until he stops, pouts, and stalks off the screen with his guitar under his arm.

Let's face it, there's no reason you'd rent this movie unless you're a die-hard Buster Keaton fan and want to watch all his movies. If you've accidentally stumbled upon this movie and haven't seen much or any of him, don't bother with this one. It's not very good, and even if you love Buster-which I absolutely do-you're better off watching something better.

Sound is sometimes mostly just a flavor, as Buster Keaton proves by making another splendid film defined chiefly by his reliable penchant for sight gags and physical comedy. Clearly neither Keaton nor the filmmaker were quite done with silent sensibilities, for dialogue could generally be substituted here with intertitles without missing anything. It should be said that 'The invader,' also known as 'An old Spanish custom,' perhaps lags at times, with less robust or consistent humor than the star at his best; simply put, not every bit lands. There's a reason the man's career tapered off after the advent of talkies. (Well, okay, multiple reasons.) Yet even if the result falls short of the utmost heights we assume of the actor, still I think overall this is rather enjoyable, and a fine diversion for a mere hour.

Yes, it's distinctly uneven, and light in content even by the standards of the era. For such faults, one can hardly miss the fact that the plot development, climax, and ending feel abrupt and even forced. The stunts that the star is known for are also less noteworthy here. But even for all that still the picture earns plenty of laughs, and the plot is suitably smart. Between Keaton's comedic timing and aloof, nervous disposition in-character, Adrian Brunel's practiced direction, and the writing, all the necessary ingredients are present for a duly entertaining farce. All those behind the scenes put in good work in terms of costumes, sets, and the like. For a Keaton vehicle to not totally land still means it's no worse off than being "average" by the standards of other contemporary fare, and indeed, there are a lot worse movies from the 1930s that one could spend time with.

This is hardly essential in the same way as 'Go west,' 'The general,' or any of Keaton's many other silent classics. This may not be especially memorable in the grand scheme of things, at least not by comparison. But the feature only wants to have fun, and despite any weaknesses, I believe it handily achieves that goal. Sure, there are other films that should claim priority for any viewer, but if you're looking for something light and frivolous, 'The invader' neatly fits the bill. Don't go out of your way for it, but this is quite nice for a quick view.

Of all the items culled for the "Industrial Strength Keaton" DVD collection, this was not only the worst looking one because of a bad print but, quality-wise, there's hardly any comedy even with The Great Stone Face's presence, and the music numbers just show how padded this feature called An Old Spanish Custom (at least here in the U.S.) is. It's not that there aren't any good gags here-like when Buster sings "In An Old Spanish Town" while some fruit drops on his head-it's just they come at arbitrary points and you have to wade through a lot of plot-related dialogue that is just performed monotonously to get to them. Also, Buster doesn't have too much motivation for his character so I don't find myself feeling for him here. Still, anything featuring the legendary comic is at least worth a look at least once so there you are...