Speak Easily
by Edward Sedgwick
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, Jimmy Durante, Ruth Selwyn, Thelma ToddDirector: Edward Sedgwick
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 82 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Alpha Video
Movie Reviews of Speak Easily
Movie Review: OK early talkie that didn't really need Keaton as part of its formula
Summary: 3 Stars
If you're a Keaton fan your eyeballs will not melt in their sockets if you watch this - it really is not bad. It would be a rather enjoyable early talkie if it were not for the fact that Buster Keaton's talents are being wasted in this film. Since I know that by this time (1932) MGM gave him no creative control and treated him just as a performer, I can only wonder what the film would have been like if someone had listened to his ideas. However, at least there are no moments in which you must look away in embarrassment at what MGM is doing to the man, as there are in Free and Easy.
The good:
a. Unlike Free and Easy (a real embarrassment of a film), Buster does get the girl in the end.
b. Buster shows a real penchant for dialogue and verbal comedy, demonstrating that he was not outside his element in talking pictures.
c. The seduction/morning after scenes with Buster and Thelma Todd. Todd gave the best supporting performance in the cast. What a shame she died so young.
d. The ending where Keaton disrupts the show but scores a hit with the audience. It's not the most clever stuff he ever did, but it is funny.
The bad:
a. Buster being made to play a straight man to Jimmy Durante.
b. Buster's expressive eyes being hidden behind his pince-nez spectacles.
c. Buster bungling into a happy ending. In his years as an independent filmmaker his character would often start out lost and fumbling around, but he figured things out in the end and came up with resourceful and deliberate solutions.
The ugly:
Why did this film need Buster Keaton anyway? Lots of comics less talented than Keaton could have been employed to recite the dialogue that was written for this script and take a few pratfalls. I'm sure in 1943 you could have dressed up Orson Welles in a gorilla suit and he would have been an effective and convincing gorilla in just about any film you put him in - but why on earth would you want to?
As far as video and audio quality, this film is in very good shape for being a public domain copy of a 75 year old film. There's no hissing in the audio and the video has no scratches in it and is quite clear.
Summary of Speak Easily
Studio: Gotham (dba Alpha) Release Date: 06/22/2004Comedy DVD Video
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