23.09.25, 20:30, Go West (1925)

At Film-Plateau, we are delighted to celebrate the start of a brand new academic year for film lovers with the screening of a century-old cinematic gem.

In Go West, The Great Stone Face aka Buster Keaton plays a lonely city boy. Appropriately, they are named Friendless, a fortune seeker who travels to the American West by freight train. In their quest for a job in Arizona, their clumsiness does them little good. He soon ends up on a ranch and unexpectedly becomes attached to a gentle cow, Brown Eyes. When his new friend is threatened with being sent to the slaughterhouse, Friendless springs into action – resulting in a hilarious and unforgettable cow stampede through the streets of Los Angeles.

Within Keaton's oeuvre, this “western” Go West is an outsider. Unlike his more famous films such as The General (1926) or Sherlock Jr. (1924), which focus on spectacle and technical bravura, this film is more subdued and emotionally warmer. It is less about stunts and more about the subtle, physical acting with which Keaton gives his character a gentle, almost childlike charm. (Re)discover this classic with live clarinet accompaniment by musician Johan Derycke.

This screening will be introduced by art history lecturer Steven Jacobs. Musical accompaniment by Johan Derycke.