The Saphead (1920)

Eureka continues its Buster Keaton Blu-ray releases with THE SAPHEAD, the first feature-length movie to topline him in after he had established himself as a star in numerous two-reelers.

Bertie Van Alstyne (Keaton) is the son of Nicholas Van Alstyne (William H Crane), a super-rich Wall Street businessman. When Bertie and his father's ward Agnes (Beulah Booker) announce their intention to marry, Van Alstyne senior cuts Bertie off with a mere $1 million for Bertie to go out and make something of himself, leading to him trying to make a go of it in the stock market.

Adapted from a popular 1913 play, THE SAPHEAD was originally intended for Douglas Fairbanjks who had played the role on stage. It's therefore not surprising that Keaton, denied the considerable input he would be allowed later on, doesn't get the chance to dazzle with the kinds of feats of athletic physical comedy he is well known for. As such THE SAPHEAD may prove disappointing for some, but as long as you go in expecting more of a straightforward comedy typical of the period you won't be disappointed.

Eureka's Blu-ray comes with a commentary track from film historian David Kalat that provides contextualisation in terms of Keaton's career and the Hollywood industry of the period. Also included is a complete alternate version consisting of different camera angles and alternate takes. A Pair of Sapheads directly compares the two versions of the film.

THE SCRIBE is a 29 minute safety film from 1966 starring Keaton as a janitor in his final film role, and there's also a commentary for it from John Sebert, the film's director. Bubbling Gravity is a new video essay by David Cairns about both the making of the film and the play that inspired it. There's also a stack of audio interview material. The longest is an interview between Keaton and Kevin Brownlow from 1964. It's divided into two parts and last nearly two hours in total. then there's an 84 minute Eastman House interview from 1958 that lasts 84 minutes, and finally eight minutes of excerpts from an interview with Torsten Jungstedt from 1958. Finally, there's a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film.

THE SAPHEAD is out from Eureka on Blu-Ray on Monday 22nd August 2022. The first 2000 copies come with an O-Card slipcase