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      The Electric House

      1922 27m Comedy List
      Reviews 85% 500+ Ratings Audience Score A botany major is accidentally awarded an electrical engineering degree and attempts to wire a home. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      David F A good, short, comedy about a young college graduate mistaken for an engineer who electrifies somebody's house with comic results. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/12/24 Full Review Christopher B "The Electric House" is one of the masterpiece shorts that Buster Keaton Directed and stared in during his early career from 1920-1923. The short is 23 minutes long and crams all kinds of props into the house and a barrage of editing techniques are used in order to make the film and all it's gadgets work and look real. The project is quite an undertaking especially for a two-reel film and is a testament to the genius, and incredible engineering skills, of Buster Keaton! The basic plot is during graduation several of the graduates drop their diplomas and pick up the wrong ones during a crucial moment, a millionaire is employing someone with a degree in electrical engineering. The fellow who has the degree (or at least did until it was mixed up and ends up in the hands of Buster) is denied because he is unknowingly carrying a Beauty degree. Buster accidentally winds up next to the millionaire and he is chosen to create an electric house for the client. Shockingly he does an amazing job and the house is stunning and really proves Keaton's genius in real life but is eventually sabotaged by the other graduate seeking revenge when he finds out about the mix-up and Buster taking the job anyway. The variety of editing and reversing of the film coupled with close-ups and different angle shots makes the house come alive and all the gadgets all the more incredible. "The Electric House" truly shows off Keaton's genius both in front of the camera and behind it and is essential watching to any Keaton fans or comedy lovers! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review sean l Fresh college grad Buster Keaton grabs the wrong diploma and is hastily offered a job before he realizes the mistake. He's a trained botanist, but there's quick money in this fancy electrician's gig and the pushy recruiter is awfully anxious to get started. So, after taking an evening to read a fat beginners' manual, he promptly outfits a client's estate with all manner of silly gadgets and inessentials. This pleases everyone, from the dazzled, superficial homeowner to the cocksure Keaton, who takes delight in nonchalantly demonstrating all the bells and whistles. The rightful recipient of Buster's stolen degree is less enthused, though, and soon sneaks into the basement to perform some spiteful sabotage. The outcome is just what one might expect: malfunctioning Rube Goldberg machines on the rampage, with a desperate crowd of confused onlookers racing to be the next one flung through a second-floor window or knocked, repeatedly, off their feet. The story doesn't have a modicum of depth or any resolution, really, but as an exercise in simple, prop-driven physical comedy, it's a good time. Pretty light fare, but still worthwhile. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The Electric House (1922) with Buster Keaton silent Film I think that for the most part I enjoyed this film because most of the inventions installed in the house by modern standards are practical for most part, impressive considering the period this film was made even though today it is something that can exist or does exist regularly. I think what I was most impressive with was the rail road toy that brought the food to diner table or cleaned the dishes. I also enjoyed seeing the Pool game setting up the pool balls on the pool table.  I do like the beginning with the swapping of the diplomas. I actually like the moral of the story of the film that it is possible to be successful if you put your mind and dedication to it.  I liked it when the real Electrician tried sabotaging Buster Keaton's character. Buster Keaton was amazing in this film. This was not your traditional slap stick film in that you felt sympathetic towards Buster Keaton's character. I was impressed that they made Buster Keaton's character actually successful early on in the film rather than making mistakes like you would expect to see if Charlie Chaplin's character was in the film. For a silent film I actually felt like it was a rather tolerable film. At no point did I feel like the film was going on too long. I actually was quiet amused by the film. The passe of the film was well done. I never felt as thought there were too many slow points to this film.  What got me was that the intent of this film was originally to be comical. However my today's standards I found very little comical due to must of the inventions presented in the film I could easily see installed into a house today.  #TheElectricHouse #The_Electric_House #Buster_Keaton #BusterKeaton #SilentFilm #Film_Review #FilmReview Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Buster Keaton being as entertaining as always :) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I wouldn't really want this house, but it would be fun to have an evening in the house for a dinner party. I especially like the idea of a train set on the table (and a table that big. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Electric House

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A botany major is accidentally awarded an electrical engineering degree and attempts to wire a home.
      Director
      Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
      Screenwriter
      Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
      Genre
      Comedy
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 8, 2017
      Runtime
      27m