Silent Reflections – The Saphead (1920)

by HELEN GEIB

Buster Keaton had been working in short comedy films for several years when he made his first feature in 1920. Aside from being his first feature, The Saphead is pleasant enough but unremarkable. It was a prelude to better things in Keaton’s career in features.

The Saphead is a remake of an adaptation (titled The Lamb) of a successful Broadway show (titled The New Henrietta), both vehicles for Douglas Fairbanks. Assuming The Saphead is a faithful adaptation, then presumably Fairbanks’ performance accounts for the success of the play and its first film version; the material is flimsy to say the least.

Keaton plays Bertie van Alstyne, an exceedingly foolish young man whose father is a Wall Street titan. Bertie’s sole ambition in life is to marry a sweet girl named Agnes, who is his father’s ward. As Agnes already returns Bertie’s affections when the story opens, the obstacles to their union are partly of his own making, partly external, and fortunately for their future happiness, not very formidable.

Although the thrust of the story is farcical, the plot complications are fueled by an unappealing melodrama revolving around Bertie’s good-for-nothing brother-in-law. It is an uneasy mixture; I advise ignoring the story and concentrating on Keaton’s performance. Keaton by no means puts the material over to the extent that I can understand why the play should have had a successful stage run and inspired two film adaptations, but he does succeed in making The Saphead a watchable film for his admirers.

The domestic comedy between Bertie and Agnes, sometimes involving as well Bertie’s nice older sister and sometimes his gruffly loveable father, has a low-key charm. All of the family are nice people (always excepting the rotten brother-in-law, but including the help and family friends), and all but Bertie are sensible and intelligent. I liked the way everyone loved Bertie for his good heart while laughing good-humoredly at his foolishness.

There’s not a lot of physical comedy in the film. The highlight is a pratfall routine on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that constitutes the finale. Also fun is an early scene that has Bertie trying unsuccessfully to get himself arrested in a raid of an illegal casino.

Some of the best jokes are made in dialogue titles. If the titles are taken from the play, it suggests another possible reason for the popularity of the stage show. The titles at least show considerably more cleverness and wit than the plot and characterization.

The Saphead is available on DVD from Kino International with a small orchestra score arranged by Robert Israel. Also included on the disc are two of Keaton’s short comedies, The High Sign (1921; filmed in 1920, it was the first short produced by Keaton’s own production company) and the superlative One Week (1920).