Wonderful character development!

A different way of telling a story

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Not to be confused with the similar sounding title as Charlie Chaplin's ONE A.M. (Mutual, 1916) , ONE WEEK (Metro, 1920), written and directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Cline, stars the legendary "stone face" of Buster Keaton in one of his true gems of silent comedy (20 minutes) produced during the early 1920s. Next to COPS (1922), ONE WEEK is one of the prime examples of Keaton's comic genius. After two years supporting Fatty Arbuckle in his series of comedy shorts (1917-1919), Keaton gets to star in what's classified as his first solo effort. The plot, supposedly taking place in a span of one week involving two nameless newlyweds, consists of individual sketches opening and closing through the tearing off of a calendar day sheet followed by the introduction to the next day's activity. Opening title: "The wedding bells have such a sweet sound but such a sour echo." Calendar fade in: "To-Day is Monday the 9th" (no month, no year given): It's Buster's wedding day, with he and his bride (Sybil Seely) exiting from the church surrounded by rice-throwing guests with the exception of one, Handy Hank, a rejected suitor. Before the day's end, the couple arrive on Apple Street where their home, Lot 99, turns out not to be a house with parts assembled in a huge box the from Portable House Company with Buster having to assemble himself. "TUESDAY the 10th" As Sybil prepares breakfast, Buster assembles his new home by the numbers. Not far away is the Hank, who, without Buster's awareness, changes the numbers on the boxes. There's a now classic moment recaptured much later in Buster's feature-length comedy, STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928) involving a house fall. Watch for it; "WEDNESDAY the 10th," With the home nearly completed, appearing as if it had gone through a typhoon, a delivery man (Joe Roberts) arrives with a piano, followed by one of the helpers (possibly Al St. John, though there's no clarification to rectify this character nor the rejected Handy Hank) dangling from his head caught on the rooftop; "THURSDAY the 11th," Buster continues assembling his house while Sybil washes up on the bath-tub. Classic moment: A mysterious hand covering the camera lens as she tries to retrieve the soap dropped on the floor; "FRIDAY the 13th," Housewarming party with friends and relatives resulting to a heavy rain storm and house going around in circles in merry-go-round fashion; "SATURDAY the 14th," Buster discovers his home has been built on the wrong lot and must have it moved to its rightful place. "SUNDAY the 15th," Buster and Sybil attempt moving their home to the right location, resulting to a series of unforeseen circumstances in the classic Buster Keaton tradition.Contrary to its title, the story doesn't take place entirely for one week/seven days, which really doesn't matter. One question comes to mind - shouldn't the opening wedding scene been more appropriate on church day Sunday rather than a work-day Monday, and having his Monday the start of his work week assembling his home? Overlooking these minor flaws, ONE WEEK is a near-perfect Keaton comedy of frustration by which, Buster, unlike other comedians as Edgar Kennedy or Oliver Hardy, showing no moments of having a nervous breakdown. He simply takes it in stride and moves on to more frustrating episodes. That's our Buster.Like the masterful work in COPS, ONE WEEK was a familiar item of silent comedy shown frequently on public television in the 1970s, notably WNET, Channel 13, in New York City, with prints from the piano scoring Killian collection. In fact, ONE WEEK preceded the 60 minute feature presentation of Keaton's COLLEGE (1927) as part of the 13-week series of THE SILENT YEARS (1975) hosted by Lillian Gish.Aside from various prints on video cassette and DVD formats with organ or jazzy underscoring, ONE WEEK has appeared on cable television, most recently on Turner Classic Movies with orchestral score not quite suitable for this style of comedy. Regardless of its age, ONE WEEK holds up remarkable well, especially for Keaton devotees. First time viewers certainly will remember this within an hour, a day, or even one week after watching it. ONE WEEK sure has that certain something with lasting appeal, that certain something being the one and only Buster. (***)

Buster Keaton's first independent work is simple, sweet, and very funny. Buster and his bride Sybil Seely try to assemble a house from a kit, not realizing Keaton's rival has switched the boxes around. What results from the slip up is a monstrous mess of a house Salvidor Dali himself might have wished he'd dreamed up. The climax is exhilarating, and the ending is one of Keaton's most memorable.I'd like to applaud Sybil Seely, who was Keaton's finest leading lady. Not merely a pretty face to be fought over, Seely radiates charm and sweetness, and her bubbly nature is a fun contrast with Keaton's stoic character. It's a shame they only appeared together a handful of times before Seely retired at age twenty to become a full-time parent.

ONE WEEKBuster Keaton and his new bride labor to build a house from a kit. There's not much of a narrative arc to speak of, but the premise allows for some pretty funny physical gags. And inventive ones, too... such as when the entire cockeyed structure is rotating around on a giant lazy susan. Keaton is endearing and charming as ever, and although we don't get to see Sybil Seely do that much, she certainly is a cutie-pie. The ending makes a terrific capper to this fun little short with plenty of laughs.Rating: 8/10

'One Week (1920)' was the first of Buster Keaton's independent two-reelers, though 'The High Sign (1921)' was filmed first and shelved until the following year. The story starts out where most romantic comedies end: with a picturesque wedding ceremony, during which adoring friends and relatives toss confetti and, oddly, second-hand footwear. The lucky groom (Keaton) and his bride (Sybil Seely) strike out for their new home, purchased by a well-meaning uncle. Of course, only in a Keaton short must the husband and wife be forced to construct their own house, utilising a do-it-yourself kit that goes awry when the bride's former lover switches the numbers around. The resultant dwelling would not have looked out of place in 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920),' though Keaton is evidently proud of his handiwork, and is thus prepared to overlook the most minor of blunders (such as having the front door on the second-floor). This short served as a trial-run of sorts for the feature 'Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928),' for here we see an early version of Keaton's famous "saved-by-the-window" falling wall stunt.'One Week' is one of Keaton's finest shorts, with no shortage of imagination, and a continuous string of episodic gags. In one scene, our hero rather coarsely knocks out a traffic policeman, and it's probably no coincidence that the victim is a Charles Chaplin-lookalike. Many of the Keaton's films utilise aspects of engineering, such as 'The Electric House (1922),' in which the actor is commissioned to update a client's home with state-of-the-art technology. In 'One Week,' the product of Keaton's labours doesn't appear quite so impressive, though the house does misbehave is equally hilarious ways. In a vigorous windstorm, the entire building is transformed into a deliriously-spinning carousel, the inhabitants thrown across the room with almost brutal centrifugal force. Leading lady Sybil Seely impressively keeps up with Keaton's comedic antics, even contributing a few laughs of her own, rather than serving only as a beautiful romantic interest. Not that Seely didn't have the "beautiful" aspect covered, the film's show-stopping moment seeing the actress drop her bar of soap while bathing in the tub. A modest cameraman's hand spares us the details, however.