Written and Directed by: Buster Keaton

BBD Comments:

Judging by the room’s tone during the Pick, I think I may have been (despite my splitting sinus headache) the happiest member of the Crew in front of Netti's 'True West.'

Buster Keaton is simply stunning, and rivals even Chaplin as a master of the Silent Film.

That I was very closely connected to Netti's own masterful invocation of Keaton in his celebrated stage show 'Go True West,' may account for my delight at sharing this Pick with him and the Crew. Like his own show, it is the audacity of the enterprise that makes it so rewarding. Keaton's stock character "Friendless" is likely the only possible conduit for a story of love between Man and Cow that is remarkably un-creepy. Not to mention the audacity of the films final reel. There is no CG (but a few well timed cuts) between the actors and forty head of cattle. That these men and women risked life and limb for the sake of film before residuals or Union pay should fill the "action stars" of today with shame equivalent to the ridiculous sums of money they get. This Pick salutes the artistry of doing things the hard way. And is well timed to remind us of the hard work that lays ahead for all of us as our new President puts his shoulder into righting the ship of state.

I noted last night, that I was struck while watching this piece that but for buildings, trees and the film itself, every person and animal pictured here had already turned to dust. That is the majesty of the medium. It endures. I appreciate our SELECTOR enduring an unnecessary Indoor Pick with this inspired choice.

My only fault with the whole enterprise was the truly awful synthesizer accompaniment that was beneath this marvelous film.

Well done, Netti.

Onwards!

Brandon Comments:

1. -Go West, my Mea Culpa, Go West  -
   

2. -
   

This doesn’t happen very frequently to me, although maybe it should. I, Wildcard Slim, would like to use this Selection Review platform to also issue two apologies to two members of my MovieNight brethren.

The first, to Netti. I personally blame the bottle of wine I consumed for my razzing, but I will not cop out that easily. Netti, your Selection of ‘Go West’ was your choice for the MovieNight following the inauguration of our first black president, and I should have respected it instead of questioning it.

Secondly, I must also apologize to our host for the evening, Tooda. Although my actions took place after the Selection played, it is still in need of an apology. During a TiVo’d Jeopardy, I disregarded the House Jeopardy Rules and drunkenly shouted answers out of correct context, as well as proceeded to demand points for an answer that I was late in answering during the time that Tooda had paused the game to inform me of the correct House Rules. I was drunk with victory, I could taste it upon my tongue…and I threw everyone off the boat for the enormity of my ego. Yes, I was an A-hole this MovieNight, so I am apologizing in print to the Crew, and the website will forever document the night that Slim pushed the limits of good taste.

Although I berated ‘Go West’ minutes after the credits finished rolling, it is a great piece of cinema history, and a great film as well. Buster Keaton is a comic genius. My only gripe with the film was that the Selection should have illustrated the dawn of a new world, a hero saving us from obliteration, a speaker of truth replacing a spinner of lies. And what we got was a bumbling fool trying to be a cowboy, a midget cleverly dropping his hat, and a man befriending a cow named “Brown Eyes.” And the only real-world political reference I can draw from ‘Go West’ was a single man leading a giant herd of dim-witted cows to their slaughter – and that is not a correlation that I would put on our first “real” president in a long, long time.

Nubs Comments:

I think it’s safe to say, “Go West” was a nice treat for the Crew despite our unnecessary indoor confines.  As a short vegetarian from Texas, I especially appreciated this tale of a short awkward fish out of water on a steer ranch and his unique bond with the hot cow, Brown Eyes. Yes, I also slept with cows in Texas but that doesn’t make me any less of a vegetarian.  Before you judge, I can also remember other members such as Slim say in his post critique and I quote, “I loooved Brown Eyes”.  Perhaps that’s why he was so quick to come out with his “apology” and document how drunk he was.  Furthermore, I heard Tooda profess, and again I quote exactly, “I want to have sex with a cow or other animal… again” Anyway, I digress. Let’s just say it was obvious Netti, Buster Keaton, and that sex goddess of a cow charmed the pants off of us this Wednesday.

Aside from my own beastiality jokes it makes me giggle inside to remember how after Year One or so we started to worry we’d run out of great picks. Ha. The recent Picks have not only been stellar but just as I, when I invented Movienight, foresaw our evolution. Becoming more creative, more avant garde, and digging deeper into our cinematic roots is just where I see us continuing to venture. Of course, we are quite fortunate to have Netti as a SELECTOR as he is the best at pushing the envelope in this way. He also brings the most films with subtitles, and this again qualifies.  I’m not sure if we’re indoors again next week but I really hope Slim brings something with farm animals.

‘Babe?’ Mmmmmmm...

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