Social Identity And Character Analysis Of Sherlock Jr.

Sherlock Jr. is a film from the silent era, which Keaton both starred in and directed. It tells the story of a poor cinema projectionist who dreams of becoming a famous detective. He is in love with a ‘girl’, yet is deceived by a rival who frames him for stealing her father’s pocket watch. Failing in his attempt to solve the crime, he is banished from ever setting foot in her house and returns to his projectionist booth where he dreams he is the detective within the projected film (which parallel the film’s events in reality). In the dream he solves the case and escapes with the girl, yet in reality it is her who uncovers the truth and returns to him, ending both the story and the film. The film is incredibly innovative, using pioneering cinematic

Throughout the film, Sherlock Jr. tinkers with ideas of reality and fiction and the distinction between them. This parallel of narratives gives Keaton the ability to offer a comedic analysis of an individual’s identification with those on screen. The ingenious technique also separates Keaton from other comedians of his time. In the New York Times Article “Phlegmatic Mr. Keaton Is a Stylist as Jester,” Mordaunt Hall says that, “In all Buster Keaton’s pictures there is a rich fund of original situations that are singularly well suited to this phlegmatic comedian.” This definitely fits the narrative structure of Sherlock Jr. The film employs two narratives, one imagined and the other set in the film’s narrative reality. The narratives are very similar, and the same characters appear in both, yet there are significant differences from those in reality and those within the dream. For example, in reality the boy is a humble

When Keaton’s character enters the screen and into the cinematic world, the scene around him constantly changes. The scene cuts from a busy street to a cliff top to a pack of lions and so on. It could be that Keaton was poking fun at the conventional nature of mainstream cinema. By staging most of the narrative within a character’s dream, Keaton is given authority to instill a number of gags which would deem impractical within reality. In the article, “Keaton Relates Comedy Secrets,” Keaton gives insight into the world of comedy and what one must do in order to obtain originality. He says that “Comedy must be clean and wholesome and the comedian must be neat. Also the ‘gags’, funny places of business, in the comedy studio, must be original.” This is especially true in a scene where Keaton appears to jump through someone to escape, in another he jumps through a window into a moving car. By staging the narrative within a dream like world, Keaton can push the cinematic boundaries further than many comedians before him. Thus, Keaton can perform tricks that amaze audiences while remaining somewhat plausible. His brilliant technique and innovative performance brighten the film and make it that more