What a waste of my time!!!

Very well executed

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This film is not up to Buster Keaton's standards. The most interesting part of the film is the introduction, in which you see shadows of the stars in picture frames and then the shadows come to life and you see some of the stars of the movie. It's been said that this movie is a re-make of The Lamb (1915), but it isn't. The Lamb, which was Douglas Fairbanks' film debut, was much better. Fairbanks' character wasn't a wimp, like Keaton's character is in The Saphead. The only reason I don't give it a lower score is because of Keaton's presence in the movie, even though there is not much to like about his character. He's a wimp. So if you're looking for an example of his work, just about any of his other silent features or shorts that he stars in would be better than this.

He's rich, he's a bit lazy, he gets the girl in the first half-hour, he even smiles a bit. It's not the Buster Keaton you expect. But he's still Keaton, and even if his first feature film creaks a good deal, he keeps you entertained."The Saphead" presents the story of Bertie Van Alstyne (Keaton), son of Wall Street tycoon Nicholas Van Alstyne (William H. Crane). Bertie lives a life of Manhattan luxury but secretly pines for the beautiful Agnes (Beulah Booker), who secretly pines for Bertie in turn. Happiness appears at hand until a strange turn of events shatters their union.A 1920 production of a hit stage play, "The Saphead" was designed to fit audience conventions of the day, not showcase Keaton's still-emerging comic persona. Sentiment and improbable coincidences run rampant here. Given that, it's impressive how well the Keaton we would come to know is presented. He is given many chances to present his clownish athleticism, as well as that expressionless-yet-not-emotionless manner that has beguiled film lovers for decades.Was Herbert Blaché, the credited director, preternaturally wise to Keaton's style? Or did Keaton just know how to get his way even before he enjoyed full control of his features?The problem with "The Saphead" is not Keaton, but its construction. In the first ten minutes, we are introduced to everyone in the film except Bertie, and given background about an adulterous affair that is then dropped for the Bertie story. Forty-five minutes in the two story lines come together, and in such a convoluted way as to beggar belief. Bertie is somehow pressed into taking the blame for the affair, even though it's obvious his brother-in-law is the guilty party.Cue violins. A lot of "The Saphead" works toward this kind of sentimental dithering, even the Keaton parts, which get a bit strange. Bertie confesses his love to Agnes accidentally, when he tells his sister Rose about it. (Since Nicholas Van Alstyne adopted Agnes, doesn't that make her Bertie's sister, too?) Agnes is standing right there, though, and gives Bertie a bit of a shock before he recovers and takes her hand. This is strictly Buster for the old ladies.The best way of watching "The Saphead" is as a couple of clever Keaton shorts with workmanlike connecting material. The first short would be Bertie's attempt to live a wastrel life, not because his heart is in it, but because he believes the modern woman "prefers sports to saints". To this end, in a great bit of physical comedy, Bertie tries to get arrested when his speakeasy is raided even though he successfully bribed a detective without knowing it. Every time he tries to enter the paddy wagon, someone pushes him back out.The second short would be Bertie making his way on Wall Street in the last 20 minutes, overdressed in top hat, frock coat, and spats, being razzed by the other brokers. This culminates in a scene of wild physical comedy where Keaton runs around the trading floor, jumping on people and unknowingly buying up shares in his father's precious mine.The Kino DVD I saw this on also has two shorts Keaton made at the same time, "The High Sign" and "One Week", which display Keaton as both director and star, and in much sharper form. "The Saphead" lacks the inventiveness of those shorts, but it works off-and-on as period entertainment thanks to Keaton and a good supporting cast. Booker is a typically shy Keaton-film beauty who delivers her scenes with grace. Crane has a fine comic moment sending his disgraced son off with a check for one million dollars "and not a penny more!"It's not great cinema, but it's the start of great cinema, showing some the conventions of the time Keaton would do his part to break, and other conventions he would observe, en route to glory.

Buying? Selling? No, I'm waiting for the crash----7/10 Although somewhat maligned by the multiple story lines and slow paced drama of the film, 'The Saphead' is saved from its own mediocrity by an incredible ending sequence that has Buster running, jumping and practically flying around the New York Stock Exchange. In defense of the film, the part that Buster plays, Bertie 'The Lamb' Van Alstyne, was not written with Buster, or his brand of comedy in mind. The Saphead is a remake of the Douglas Fairbanks film 'The Lamb', which was released roughly five years before. Having Buster come in to do 'his thing' makes this film unforgettable, but in no way nearly as good as the films he would go on to make independently.Besides the wonderful ending, the opening credits were very creative. But 'The Saphead' turns out to be nothing more than two bookends holding up some dated and dusty romance novels.7/10. Clark Richards

While it is certainly not up to the standard of the later films that Keaton would direct and/or write himself, "The Saphead" is still a nice little film, and the last part is excellent, a sign of things to come. It would be worth watching for the last 20 minutes alone, and the first part is not bad either, just old-fashioned and sometimes a bit slow.Keaton plays Bertie, the timid son of a rich businessman. Most of the film involves the business and romantic difficulties of Bertie, his sister, and his brother-in-law. It's slow at times, with some melodrama and a fair amount of mild humor but not a lot of really funny material. It's a decent story of the kind common to silent films, is usually pleasant to watch, and is important as the prelude and setup to the climax. In the last part of the film, Bertie joins the stock exchange, and all the story lines come together in a creative and very entertaining sequence that finally gives Keaton a chance to display his great variety of comic skills.If you enjoy Keaton's other films, this one is not up to their level, but it is still worth watching.