| The High Sign | |
|---|---|
_-_Ad_1.jpg) Buster gives the titular "high sign" | |
| Directed by | Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton |
| Written by | Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton |
| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Elgin Lessley |
| Edited by | Buster Keaton |
| Distributed by | Metro Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 21 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent film English (original)intertitles |
The High Sign is a 1921two-reelsilentcomedy film starringBuster Keaton, and written and directed by Keaton andEdward F. Cline. Its runtime is 21 minutes. AlthoughOne Week (1920) was Keaton's first independent film short released,The High Sign was the first one made. Disappointed with the result, Keaton shelved it and the film was not released until the following year. The title refers to the secret hand signal used by the film's underworld gang.
Keaton plays a drifter who cons his way into working at an amusement park shooting gallery. Believing Keaton is an expert marksman, both the murderous gang the Blinking Buzzards and the man they want to kill end up hiring him. The film ends with a wild chase through a house filled with secret passages and trap doors.
The High Sign was Keaton's first independent production.[1] In contrast to the "violent slapstick" of the films he had made withFatty Arbuckle, this short film evinces the "dry and quiet comedy style" which would become Keaton's trademark.[1]
The climactic chase scenes inside the house take place on a split-level, cutaway set with revolving wall panels, trap doors, and hidden corridors in all the rooms.[1] Filming took place at the studios of theComique Film Corporation recently vacated by Arbuckle.[2] Keaton also began working with Arbuckle's former cinematographerElgin Lessley and technical directorFred Gabourie, who remained with him until he signed withMGM in 1929.[2]
Though Keaton completedThe High Sign a year earlier, he delayed its release because he felt it too closely mimicked Arbuckle's style; he also "thought the gags were too ridiculous and clever for their own sake".[1]The High Sign was released April 4, 1921. At that time, Keaton had broken his ankle while filming the first version ofThe Electric House and his company needed to market a new film.[1]
GuitaristBill Frisell released a soundtrack to the film in 1995 on his albumThe High Sign/One Week.[3] The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra premiered its new score for the film in 2008.Carl Davis composed an original score in 2017.[4]
