The Great Buster

Director- Peter Bogdanovich

Cast- Various

Country of Origin- US
 

Distributor - Cohen

Number of discs –  1

Reviewed by - Tyler Miller

Date- 06/06/2019

Buster Keaton was one of the kings of silent comedy. Known as the great stone face, he quickly became known for his mastery of stunts and outrageous set pieces. Keeping his cool in some of the strangest situations. THE GREAT BUSTER (2018) is a documentary produced by the Cohen media group to honor his life and showcase their tireless work on new 4k Restorations of his films.

Directed and narrated by Peter Bogdanovich (TARGETS, PAPER MOON), the film covers Keaton’s rise, fall and loss of creative control, and his later life. Bogdanovich moves through the material at brisk pace, but never cheats or sales the story short. He gives the narration a voice of reason and has good comedic timing to go along with the shots on screen. It’s an honest appreciation of one of cinema’s great legends. He is also very contemptuous of Keaton’s 1930 talkie pictures and it shows just how misguided they were.

The film also has a huge selection of interviewees including Mel Brooks, Paul Dooley, Werner Herzog, Bill Hader, Quentin Tarantino, French Stewart, Dick Van Dyke, James Karen, Richard Lewis, and Leonard Maltin, among others. There are plenty of great stories about Keaton’s influence and how it affected their careers. Tarantino discusses how Keaton’s THE GENERAL (1926) is a landmark in action cinema, and Leonard Maltin fondly remembers Keaton’s work on Television and the famous “This is Your Life” episode.

It’s a heartfelt documentary and a wonderful tribute to one of cinema’s great masters.

Cohen Media Group has done a stunning job bringing some of the clips to 4K. The rest of the picture is just as lovely. The 5.1 English DTS-HD MA audio is clear and doesn’t haven’t any hiss or pops. The music score and interviews are clear with no sudden drops in volume. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD picture is likewise impressive with crystal picture all around. The color balance and black levels are similarly stunning.

Extras are limited to a trailer and a “Conversations from the Quad with Peter Bogdanovich” interview. The audio is a real disaster and makes the piece almost unwatchable.

An essential Documentary on one of cinema’s great masters. Highly Recommended!