Three Ages (1923)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Buster Keaton
(more)

Writer:

Buster Keaton (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

24 September 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A Metro Picture in 6 Parts

Plot:

The misadventures of Buster in three seperate historical periods.

Plot Keywords:

Chariot Race | Anachronism | Dog Sled | Ancient Rome | Dinosaur

Cast

Margaret Leahy	...	The Girl
Wallace Beery	...	The Villain
Buster Keaton	...	The Boy
Lillian Lawrence	...	The Girl's Mother
Joe Roberts	...	The Girl's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lionel Belmore	...	(uncredited)
Louise Emmons	...	Old fortune teller (uncredited)
Kewpie Morgan	...	The Emperor, Cave Man, Roman Thug (uncredited)
Blanche Payson	...	The Amazon (uncredited)

Directed by
Buster Keaton
Edward F. Cline		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Clyde Bruckman		uncredited
Jean C. Havez		uncredited
Buster Keaton		writer
Joseph A. Mitchell		uncredited

Produced by
Buster Keaton	....	producer
Joseph M. Schenck	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Israel		(1995 new score)

Cinematography by
Elgin Lessley		(uncredited)
William C. McGann		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Ives	....	assistant director

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Ribière	....	digital artist: digital restoration and color correction (restored version)

Other crew
Fred Gabourie	....	technical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Buster Keaton Productions

Distributors

• Metro Pictures Corporation (1923) (USA) (theatrical)
• Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero (1982) (Spain) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (video)
• I.V.C. (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Passport International Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Video Yesteryear (video)

Also Known As:

Die drei Zeitalter (Austria) (Germany) [de]
As Três Idades (Brazil) [pt]
Ben Akiba hat gelogen! (Germany) [de]
Hat Ben Akiba gelogen? (Austria) [de]
Kolme aikakautta (Finland) [fi]
Les trois âges (France) [fr]
Senti, Amore mio (Italy) [it]
Tres edades (Spain) [es]
Tro, hopp och kärlek (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

63 min | Spain:55 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G | Portugal:M/6 | UK:U | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Hill Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Buster Keaton Productions

Trivia:

Buster Keaton's first feature film. He chose to construct the film as a series of separate episodes so the film could be cut into individual shorts to be re-released on their own if the feature was a failure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Stone Face (1968)

An Absolute Silent Delicatessen

As is well-known among long haired youngsters who are incredibly interested in this Herr Graf's silent rants, during summertime aristocrats like to travel to exclusive and distinguished places in order to avoid the heat as well hordes of coarse people taking their ease. Such bizarre travels around the world also happen in "Three Ages", a charming and elegant piece of silent work directed by old hands, namely Herr Buster Keaton and Herr Eddie Cline.

Obviously this German count liked most the first segment focused on the Stone Age due to the affinity that this aristocrat feels about that ancient time. preferring that to the second segment which takes place during the glory of Rome (It should have included the cause of the fall of the Roman empire, that is to say, Barbarians, or the same thing, Germans). Of course, the third segment takes place during modern times but this Teutonic aristocrat thinks that even 100 years ago should qualify as modern.

The leitmotiv that moves Herr Keaton and his companions to travel and endure the strange and hilarious happenings during three different ages, is the search for love, a very complicated subject to understand for aristocrats who prefer the search for money and self interest. Every time that "Three Ages" is shown in the Schloss theatre, it is always a pleasure to watch a funny, witty silent film (even for a serious German count), an oeuvre full of gags and gadgets, puns, pratfalls and acrobatics, visual and astounding technical tricks, an absolute silent delicatessen that is perfect to allow one to endure the various and coarse summertime severities.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must flirt with an old Teutonic heiress who doesn't look her age.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/