It’s true love if you can paint it on a house. Image: Pinterest
The 1920 comedy, One Week, stars Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely as a freshly-married couple who build a Do-It-Yourself prefabricated house.
The couple receive the house as a wedding gift, and it arrives in carefully-marked wooden crates, along with assembly instructions. A person can put the thing together in a week!
However! Seely’s jilted-and-jealous ex-boyfriend re-labels the crates, which knocks the assembly instructions Out of Whack.
The couple plows ahead with construction anyway, even though they suspect something Ain’t Right, and the house – such as it is – is completed in three days.
But that’s just the start. To round out their Week One of married life, there’s also bad weather, confusion about an address, and, finally, the need to move the house Across Railroad Tracks.
Plus a charming romance, of course.
That’s a lot to pack into a 25-minute film, isn’t it? With such a short runtime, a film has to stay On Target. It can’t use any “filler,” as movies today are wont to do.
There isn’t even much of a plot. It has a simple premise with multiple sight gags, and yet it’s brilliant.
In our opinion, One Week was the film that firmly established the Buster Keaton character that made him a Legend.
Our dream house. Image: cinemas21us
Although Keaton had been working in Hollywood since 1917, One Week was a career benchmark in two ways: (1) It was the first film in which he starred without comedic partner (and friend) Roscoe Arbuckle; and (2) It was his first release as an independent filmmaker.
He would also present the parameters of his filmmaking, as in: There are no parameters.
His character would be stoic – “The Great Stone Face”, they called him – and he would be industrious and dogged, and wouldn’t give up, even if everything in the film Conspired against him.
He would cast supersized adversaries who towered above him, which in itself was a funny gag, but also made his eventual victories even greater.
The movies are set in America and Keaton portrays an Average Joe, both of which make him instantly sympathetic. He pokes fun at ordinary situations, but not ordinary people.
Yet the films show us there’s nothing ordinary about Buster Keaton. He was nothing short of a genius in Physics.
Keaton had the couple’s home constructed on a turntable to create the effects of a severe windstorm. Look at the way he clings to the house, as though there’s a chance of restraining it.
We won’t show you anymore clips. To do so would ruin your future enjoyment of the film, if you haven’t already seen it.
One Week was one of highest-grossing films of 1920. According to Wikipedia, it was a parody of an educational film, Home Made (1919), that promoted prefabricated housing.
Keaton was seriously injured performing a stunt filming One Week, but, as would prove to be the case with Keaton’s career, it didn’t put a crimp in the production schedule. This would not be the last time he would be injured doing stunts; indeed it’s astonishing he wasn’t injured more often.
His true genius, we think, is his relatability. Keaton never lords his abilities over the audience, even though we’re ever conscious his dexterity and resourcefulness far outweigh our own.
It’s why audiences – then and now – admire Buster Keaton. One Week is a coming of age, of sorts, of both the character and the filmmaker.
One Week: starring Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely, Joe Roberts. Written and directed by Edward F. Cline & Buster Keaton. Joseph M. Schenck Productions, 1920, B&W, 25 mins.
I completely agree that Buster was a legend the second his first film was released! I think it was Roger Ebert who said his films flowed like pieces of music, something like that. And when you watch a lot of silent comedies made around the same time, Buster’s talent really stands out. Thanks for covering this classic for the blogathon, it’s one of my favorite silents overall.
You may not believe this, but just a few days ago I showed this just same clip to my children because they were saying that once, without special effects, movies were not exciting: they just simply changed their minds! 🙂
Buster Keaton was brilliant and I think his comedy is timeless. I was introduced to his work in school when our teacher played the movie ‘The Railrodder’ in class. The instructional material that got our teacher to bring the movie to class was the scenic views when the rail maintenance vehicle traveled across Canada from the east coast to the west. For me and the rest of the class, it was about Keaton’s antics that had us in stitches.
Silver Screenings 
He made some terrific films. One of my faves of his is The General.
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The General is EPIC! Every time I see it, I marvel. To do what he does, in period costume, is such a treat to watch.
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I love this movie so much!
Buster Keaton was awesome!
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Me too. It’s dazzling with the stunts, but it’s also a sweet romance. A truly remarkable film.
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One Week was such an iconic film in every scene. Buster Keaton was brilliant as well, the stunts were amazing too!
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You’re right – each scene is a treat for the audience.
Every time I see a Buster Keaton film, I try to think of a comparable filmmaker in our own era. But I always come up short. Am I overlooking someone?
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The closest person I can think of is Chevy Chase!
I’ve been watching Community, so … he does pratfalls on the show that take me back to his Saturday Night Live days! 🙂
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You know I’ve never seen Community. I’ll check it out – thanks!
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Community is a great, great show! It’s like a hidden gem that someone happened to tell me about.
I think you’ll enjoy it.
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I completely agree that Buster was a legend the second his first film was released! I think it was Roger Ebert who said his films flowed like pieces of music, something like that. And when you watch a lot of silent comedies made around the same time, Buster’s talent really stands out. Thanks for covering this classic for the blogathon, it’s one of my favorite silents overall.
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“His films flowed like pieces of music” – that is eloquent and perfect. One Week is a prime example, as you say.
Thanks for hosting this blogathon for nine years(!). It’s one I always look forward to.
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You may not believe this, but just a few days ago I showed this just same clip to my children because they were saying that once, without special effects, movies were not exciting: they just simply changed their minds! 🙂
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That is AWESOME!
You are a good Momma.
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Buster Keaton was brilliant and I think his comedy is timeless. I was introduced to his work in school when our teacher played the movie ‘The Railrodder’ in class. The instructional material that got our teacher to bring the movie to class was the scenic views when the rail maintenance vehicle traveled across Canada from the east coast to the west. For me and the rest of the class, it was about Keaton’s antics that had us in stitches.
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I love The Railrodder! It’s terrific!
Are you Canadian, perchance?
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Yes, I am. 🙂
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Yay! A fellow Canuck!
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Imagine doing all these visual stunts without green screen and cgi! So inventive (and dangerous!)
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He was a master of Physics, hey? Sometimes I almost can’t watch his stunts because they’re SO dangerous, as you pointed out.
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