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

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed by John Spotton 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 films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

's film '' 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; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB). A

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

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 ...

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

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

, 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, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

short feature on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

(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. For the first time, CFA management decided to present the awards on television. The Directors Guild of Canada which, in another first, was presenting C ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

: 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.Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

: 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 ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

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

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

: 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.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* or the *
''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 English-language documentary films