IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Katherine Albert
- Hattie
- (uncredited)
George Berrell
- Jim Hardy from Arizona
- (uncredited)
Henry Clauss
- Valet
- (uncredited)
Alfred Hollingsworth
- Hathaway
- (uncredited)
Helen Holte
- Henrietta Reynolds
- (uncredited)
Jeffrey Williams
- Hutchins
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFeature-film debut of Buster Keaton.
- GoofsWhen Bertie's car pulls up to the house after the aborted wedding, the front gate is closed, but when he gets out of the car it is wide open.
- Alternate versionsIn 1995, Film Preservation Associates copyrighted a version with an orchestral score; no details were specified on the print.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
Featured review
A strange choice for Keaton's feature debut
Something like The Saphead isn't what you would expect to be Buster Keaton's feature film debut. The whole thing seems too ordinary, too stagey and melodramatic to be so. This is due to the fact that The Saphead was not a Keaton-helmed project; he was suggested for the role of the rich young man Bertie by Douglas Fairbanks, who had previously played the role on Broadway.
Bertie is the first of the spoiled, clueless young man types that Keaton would later return to in The Navigator and Battling Butler. He seeks to impress a sweet young woman named Agnes by coming across as a bad boy, gambling well into the morning hours and having breakfast in the afternoon. His father confronts him about this behavior and has him cut off until he can find a job. Bertie seeks out to do just that, in the meantime winning the hand of his girl-- well, almost. During the ceremony, his sister's slimy husband Mark receives letters from his recently deceased mistress Henrietta, asking him to take care of their illegitimate child. His secret about to be revealed, he presses the letters on Bertie, breaking Agnes' heart and bringing the union to an abrupt end. Fortunately, things manage to pick back up after Bertie unwittingly saves the family stock business.
While there are a few Keaton-esque moments every now and then, for the most part The Saphead is just a typical stage to film adaptation of the period. Unlike the films Keaton would later star in and direct, this picture lacks spontaneity and laughs. The action on screen never comes alive until the climax, when Keaton finally gets to jump and be thrown around as he dashes through the trading floor and saves the day. The entire movie isn't a bore, however, and there are a few humorous inter-titles and gags, but it's just doesn't have a story that seems to suit the particular talents of its main star.
Bertie is the first of the spoiled, clueless young man types that Keaton would later return to in The Navigator and Battling Butler. He seeks to impress a sweet young woman named Agnes by coming across as a bad boy, gambling well into the morning hours and having breakfast in the afternoon. His father confronts him about this behavior and has him cut off until he can find a job. Bertie seeks out to do just that, in the meantime winning the hand of his girl-- well, almost. During the ceremony, his sister's slimy husband Mark receives letters from his recently deceased mistress Henrietta, asking him to take care of their illegitimate child. His secret about to be revealed, he presses the letters on Bertie, breaking Agnes' heart and bringing the union to an abrupt end. Fortunately, things manage to pick back up after Bertie unwittingly saves the family stock business.
While there are a few Keaton-esque moments every now and then, for the most part The Saphead is just a typical stage to film adaptation of the period. Unlike the films Keaton would later star in and direct, this picture lacks spontaneity and laughs. The action on screen never comes alive until the climax, when Keaton finally gets to jump and be thrown around as he dashes through the trading floor and saves the day. The entire movie isn't a bore, however, and there are a few humorous inter-titles and gags, but it's just doesn't have a story that seems to suit the particular talents of its main star.
- MissSimonetta
- Jan 28, 2012
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The New Henrietta
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 17 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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