The Paleface (1922)

One of my all time favorites.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This Keaton short has hilarity, acrobatics, and true silliness of course. But also a type of transfigured social justice. That is elevated justice found out west even in the 19th Century. Keaton knew about evil oil barons and so on from his private experience. I hold him to be higher than Lloyd or Chaplin.It's prognostication of the future of Oklahoma Cherokees which came true long after this so-called silly film short was released. How do I know? My now-deceased parents worked as chief-cooks-and-bottle-washers for a man who did cheat the Cherokees and found himself in terror of revenge in Oklahoma in the early '30s. Also I witnessed children where I live receive the benefits due them as Cherokees. Friends of mine. What the silliness in this short does is warn its fans that bad things happen to good people. And they still do as seen in this short silly film. Keaton acts as a willing peacemaker and is made a blood brother as later occurs in other films and even a classic '50s TV show which I watched as a kid. What about empathy here? There were no Indian reservations anywhere when Keaton was born, but he saw what was happening around him. Yes,folks here in so-cal now want to be known as Indians instead of PC crap. OK?

Buster Keaton plays a butterfly collector who is unlucky enough to stumble into an Indian reservation moments after it's chief has issued an order that the first white man they see is to be scalped after the tribe is duped out of their land. Of course, Keaton is initially blissfully unaware of the danger he's in. His sudden sprint for the reservation gates isn't because of a sudden realisation of the peril he's in but because he's just spotted a butterfly for his collection. The first half of this film, in which Keaton tries to elude the Indians, is the funniest, although the scene near the end in which he evades capture from another tribe of Indians by crossing a bridge that only has a dozen or so slats is pretty good. The film features some typical Keaton stunts and some good solid laughs but, in my opinion, this isn't quite one of his best.

After having their land unscrupulously stolen from them by greedy oil sharks, a tribe of Native American Indians vows to kill the next white man who comes into their presence. Said white man turns out to be an unknowing Buster Keaton seeking butterflies for his collection.This movie is basically a live-action cartoon. It features the type of chase and stunt sequences one more expects from Looney Tunes only here its accomplished in live action via a series of daring stunts and surprisingly well accomplished special effects sequences. These are pulled off much better than I though would be even possible for the time and era.Overall this short may not be as humorous as many of Keaton's other efforts but it sure doesn't lack in terms of its overall entertainment value due to the above mentioned dangerous stunt sequences that seem more fitting for a cartoon than live action, the best of which involves Buster being thrown over a cliff and creating a makeshift bridge across a gorge.

I saw this on KINO Video and I was far from being impressed by the company because the film alternated from running too fast to running too slow---and the soundtrack, as a result, was really annoying. Perhaps it was a defective tape. If you can, you might want to find another brand if it's available.Now on to the film. It's a silly and fun little film about some irate Indians and how they are about to take out their frustrations on the first White man they see--and it just happens to be Buster. However, after spending a lot of time trying to kill him, he is miraculously saved and the Indians think he's been send by the gods. Buster, being a nice guy, didn't hold any grudges for almost being roasted alive and agrees to help the Indians. It turns out that greedy oil barons are trying to take the land and so Buster leads the Indians on the attack. All in all, not the most important film Keaton ever made, but the sight gags are good and its a brisk little film sure to please anyone willing to watch a silent comedy.