''Buster Keaton Rides Again'' is a 55-minute 1965

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

directed by

John Spotton John Spotton Canadian Society of Cinematographers, C.S.C. (January 1, 1927 - March 3, 1991) was a Canadian filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada. A versatile artist who worked as a director, producer, cinematographer and editor, Spo ...

and narrated by Michael Kane. The film is a behind-the-scenes documentary shot while

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

's film ''

The Railrodder ''The Railrodder'' is a 1965 short comedy film starring Buster Keaton in one of his final film roles, directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). A 25-minute comedic travelogue of Canada, ''The Railrodder ...

'' (1965), was being produced. Although it is a production documentary, the film is actually longer than ''The Railrodder'', which was only 24 minutes long. Both films were produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB). A

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

version of ''Buster Keaton Rides Again'', ''Avec Buster Keaton'' was also released.

Synopsis

''Buster Keaton Rides Again'' combines behind-the-scenes footage during the filming of ''The Railrodder'' with a retrospective of Keaton's work including scenes from '' The Butcher Boy'' (1917), ''

The Frozen North ''The Frozen North'' is a 1922 American short comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton. The film is a parody of early western films, especially those of William S. Hart. The film was written by Keaton and Edward F. Cline (credited ...

'' (1922), ''

Seven Chances ''Seven Chances'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton, based on the play of the same name by Roi Cooper Megrue, produced in 1916 by David Belasco. Additional cast members include T. Roy Barnes, Snitz Ed ...

'' (1925), and '' The General'' (1927). Keaton and

Gerald Potterton Gerald Potterton (8 March 1931 – 23 August 2022) was a British–Canadian director, writer, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic '' Heavy Metal'' and his animation work on '' Yellow Submarine''. Potterton wa ...

, his director on ''The Railrodder'', discussed and occasionally argued over gags in the film with the director concerned about the safety of his star. During the filming of ''The Railrodder'', Keaton celebrated his 69th birthday. He also had the opportunity to meet fans across Canada.

Production

Filmed concurrently with the production of ''The Railrodder'' during the fall of 1964, the NFB documentary was filmed in black-and-white, as opposed to the short film itself, which is in colour. The choice of black-and-white was not only for economic reasons, as the format allowed for an easy integration of the footage from Keaton's earlier films.

Reception

''Buster Keaton Rides Again'' was released with ''The Railrodder''. The motivation behind making ''The Railrodder'' with Buster Keaton, was that "critics were rediscovering and wildly praising his great silent comedies of the '20s."Schneider, Maria
"The Railrodder/Buster Keaton Rides Again"
''A.V. Club'', March 29, 2002. Retrieved: March 15, 2016. Produced primarily as a

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

short feature on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

(CBC), after broadcast, the film was made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries and other interested parties. The film was also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities.Ohayon, Albert
"Propaganda cinema at the NFB"
''National Film Board of Canada'', July 13, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2016."Awards: 'Buster Keaton Rides Again'"
''NFB Collections''. Retrieved: March 18, 2016.

Awards

18th Canadian Film Awards The 18th Canadian Film Awards were held on May 6, 1966 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 73-75. The ceremony wa ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

: Best Film, General Information, 1966 *

Montreal International Film Festival The Montreal International Film Festival was an annual Canadian film festival, which took place in Montreal, Quebec from 1960 to 1967.

: First Prize, Medium-Length Films, 1966 * Golden Gate International Film Festival, San Francisco: Silver Trophy, Documentary, 1966 * International Exhibition of the Documentary Film,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

: CIDALC Special Prize, 1966 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: First Prize, Music, Literature & Films, 1967 * Melbourne Film Festival,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

: Special Prize for Best Biographical Documentary, 1967 * MIFED International Contest of Public Relations,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

: Gold Medal 1968 *

20th British Academy Film Awards The 20th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1967, honoured the best films of 1966. Winners and nominees Statistics See also * 39th Academy Awards * 19th Directors Guild of America ...

, London: Nominee: BAFTA Award for Best Documentary, 1967

Availability

''Buster Keaton Rides Again'' and ''The Railrodder'' are available for free streaming on the National Film Board's website as well as on DVD. It is also on the NFB's YouTube channel. In Canada, the NFB itself markets the DVD, while

Kino Video Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art house films, ...

distributes the film in the United States."The Art of Buster Keaton DVD Box Set"
''Kino Video''. Retrieved: March 17, 2016.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

* Watc
''Buster Keaton Rides Again''
at NFB.ca (requires

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) o
YouTube
*
''Buster Keaton Rides Again'' at NFB Collections page
{{Buster Keaton 1965 films 1960s English-language films Canadian documentary films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Black-and-white documentary films Documentary films about films Documentary films about Buster Keaton Documentary films about rail transport 1965 documentary films Cultural depictions of Buster Keaton Documentary films about the cinema of Canada Canadian black-and-white films Quebec films English-language Canadian films 1960s Canadian films