CERT: U / FORMAT: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 24TH
Those lovely folks at Eureka have once again graced us with another bountiful boxset of Buster’s box office beauties. As with Volume 2, this are presented from new restorations, two of which are from 2k and Go West, which is presented from a 4k restoration.
Our Hospitality is the earliest work on display here and follows Keaton as William McKay, a hapless (Of course) chap who pops down to the south to view his inheritance. The storyline is a simple one that Keaton will return to on numerous occasions, but its hardly the story you came for, right? While it seems odd to define this work as ‘early’ in a nine-year career high, it most certainly is, and the delight is in seeing the seeds planted that will grow over the next six years. College, on the other hand, is brilliant but lacklustre. It feels at this point that Keaton has found, albeit a winning formula, a rather formulaic one. Still worth your time.
The reason to buy here is Go West. Whilst sadly not soundtracked by The Pet Shop Boys and a Welsh male voice choir, this is something very different in the Keaton oeuvre. Ditching the inevitable boy meets girl, Keaton opts for boy meets bovine. Keaton plays Friendless- perhaps his take on Chaplin’s Tramp – a loner whose friend, Brown Eyes, is off to the slaughter unless Friendless can save her. The result is that cattle stampede through L.A.
All three films offer something different and the image quality is impeccable. However, just try playing the song Go West over the movie of the same name, particularly the stampede scene and tell us that old Buster wouldn’t have added ‘80s electronica had he the chance.
