Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Blacksmith

      Released Jul 21, 1922 21m Comedy List
      Reviews 64% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Buster tries to shoe horses and fix cars, with mixed results. Read More Read Less

      Where to Watch

      The Blacksmith

      Prime Video

      Buy The Blacksmith on Prime Video.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (15) audience reviews
      sean l Working for the man yet again, Buster Keaton plays apprentice to a big, mean blacksmith (frequent collaborator Joe Roberts), spurs the boss into a fistfight with police, seeks shortcuts for all the manual labor and screws up every job. This one's pretty basic, just a simple slice of working life with a long string of destructive, bite-sized sight gags. After taking great strides in his earliest solo efforts, experimenting with the medium and exploring more layered stories, it feels like Buster's treading water here. With a characteristic, self-assured air, he systematically ruins a nice car (actually a personal gift from his soon-to-be-ex in-laws - damn, Buster, you're cold), smears paint and grease over a sparkling white horse and misuses a giant magnet; lightly amusing stunts, but these scenarios are neither as inventively hilarious, nor as jaw-droppingly daring as his top-shelf stuff. I actually saw two cuts of this film: one recent discovery from an old, dusty vault that is believed to be the final release and another, now regarded as an early preview, which had previously appeared in Keaton archives and collections. Neither is particularly good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Some fun moments. It is fun watching Keaton's obliviousness become self-destructive. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member It was interesting. A lot of slap stick humor. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Simple, just the way it ought to be. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Keaton makes a rather genius device that allows a horses saddle to be more shock absorbent. A treat for the funny bone like all Keaton films. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member While Buster once referred to The Blacksmith as 'The Dud', this film offers its share of amusement. One of the most memorable of these scenes demonstrates Buster's love of animals as he takes good care of his animal customer. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All The Blacksmith photos

      The Blacksmith

      The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) The Blacksmith (1922) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (2) Critics Reviews
      John Monaghan Detroit Free Press As The Blacksmith, [Buster Keaton] bungles horse grooming and auto repair with slapstick finesse. Rated: 4/4 Mar 7, 2008 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Laugh-out-loud two-reeler. Rated: B Oct 19, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Buster tries to shoe horses and fix cars, with mixed results.
      Director
      Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair
      Screenwriter
      Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair
      Distributor
      First National Pictures Inc.
      Genre
      Comedy
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jul 21, 1922, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jul 1, 2016
      Runtime
      21m
      Most Popular at Home Now