sean l
Buster Keaton tackles the rare villainous role, a thoroughly rotten outlaw, in this strange, ice-crusted sorta-western. After emerging from "the end of the subway line" in the frosty tundra of deep Alaska, Keaton gets right to robbing casinos, firing guns at the backs of strangers and making passes at a neighbor's wife... all crimes of convenience that don't go according to plan, but they're still pretty dark acts. There's barely any narrative to speak of, either, just a few clips of Keaton running through the snow to bridge the divergent scenes and a bland, overused climactic jape.
The Frozen North is disorganized to the max; scattered and unfocused like a grab bag of unrefined ideas. Perhaps understandably so, as Keaton's head wasn't really in the game during production. At the time, his friend and former partner, Fatty Arbuckle, was being judged in the press and blacklisted ahead of a much-publicized manslaughter trial and Buster took the about-face of many industry acquaintances very personally. That almost assuredly led to the film's angrier tone and less-focused production. The Frozen North is also, evidently, loaded with topical humor that's utterly lost on most sets of modern eyes, including my own. The despicable cowboy Keaton plays, a selfish scoundrel, was understood at the time as a send-up of William S. Hart, star of many such pictures, who was a vocal critic of Arbuckle's despite never crossing his path. In that context, the film takes on a new light. I'd still consider it one of Buster's worst, both for the structural disarray and the hopelessly dour spirit, but at least I can understand his reasoning.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
65/100
Buster walks out of a subway station into a frozen tundra, tries to steal a beautiful girl, and subsequently deals with the husband.
The Frozen North is quite the conundrum of a film. The entire experience feels uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and unnerving, largely because Buster is literally not himself in this film. He plays a bad guy (not exactly THE bad guy), and it feels alien and strange. Most certainly the reason why this film feels so odd is because it's actually a parody of the films of William S. Hart and Erich Von Stroheim. And not being familiar with their films, I didn't "get" this film. And I feel like any person unfamiliar with the parody, will feel out of place as well.
On the plus side, there are a couple or so pretty funny moments, unfortunately I literally mean a couple or so. Some of the gags don't feel Keaton-esque and the ones that do aren't that great either. Overall, it's disappointing, but worth a look for any curious fans. Just don't expect the typical Keaton film.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/28/23
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Audience Member
Keaton runs about in the snow encountering bears as well as jealous husbands with blood on tooth.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
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Audience Member
Unlike most of Keaton's films, The Frozen North is fairly predictable. In my opinion, the plot and some of the gags lack the comical depth of his other shorts. Knowledge of the events surrounding Fatty Arbuckle and the film industry at the time greatly contributes to an understanding of the tone and beginning of the movie.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
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Audience Member
"The Frozen North" is another of the Short Films Collection running from 1920-1923 before Keaton got into feature lengths and runs at 17 minutes. The film isn't near the top of his works but has some funny gags including the fishing scene and some of the stories black humor is super dark until the ending reveals that it was a dream. This is definitely on the darker side as Buster plays "The Bad Man" and is seen in a different light, hence the ending. Worth a watch in order to see Buster in a different role than he was used to doing.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
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Audience Member
A lot of people were offended by some of the gags in this film, because indeed they are quite cutting and dark. But in this modern, desensitized age, the gags- to me- were somewhat funny, in a shocking way. Although this film is probably not so tasteful at times, and some Keaton fans will be put off by seeing Buster Keaton in this light, I think that it still has its moments.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
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