MisterWhiplash So how does one build the foundations of a marriage? Hmm...In all seriousness, this is a prototype on how to stage gags and execute them with the kind of seemingly effortlessness that made Buster Keaton so endearing (and of course there was so much effort, and the sleight of hand quality to how he would, say, fall out of a window or have a space in the window in case part of a house fell on him, was all part of his trickery).In One Week, Buster gets married, and, due to some skulduggery from the wife's ex - he changes around the numbers in the order for the "Build a House" kit that Buster's uncle gives him - the house is a mess. No, this is not some figurative thing, the house looks like it was designed by Picasso! But the couple try to make it work, and yet the house sometimes does some odd things, like spinning uncontrollably on its really whacked axis, spinning the house-guests that Buster and his wife have over right out the door.The 'portable house', the kind of thing that seems ubiquitous for that time period and yet nearly 100 years later almost sounds rather promising as if it could still exist, is a wonderful vehicle to spring gags, and of course putting together a house (with the metaphor of putting together a film not lost on me) opens the door for so many gags and, believe me, Keaton and his collaborators go for all of them. There are some I just couldn't believe that involve breakneck physical dynamics involving parts of the house bending and how holes need to be laid just in place, and then of course the unexpected that gets the biggest laughs: when Buster tries to drive the house to another location - nailing the car's back seat to the house siding for good measure - the car keeps driving off as he and the seat stays put! What I liked a lot here is that underneath the frustration of putting this house together and the hazards of it, there's real love and affection between this couple. They're newlyweds, and for all the downs that come their way, through all of the moments where it looks like Buster's about to be down for the count (or he does just seemingly wild things like climbing down a ladder and *switching sides* from front to back while in mid descent), they show each other love and affection. There's this honest, serious bedrock, and all of the comedy is based on all of the obstacles that come in their way and that we want to see them overcome (the actress, Sybil Seely, is quite good too).This is filmmaking virtuosity on display, and to say it holds up is an understatement; it's stunt-work is remarkable (see how Buster goes from one car to another in that brief chase right after the wedding, and how the cars go off in ways that shouldn't work physically but it's still awesome), and I found myself laughing not because of how balls to the wall it gets. Also, more to the point, the gags *work*, and its all from incidents that build one on top of the other, to where it finally gets to the Picasso house spinning around. Genius.

peefyn As a viewer with limited experience with Buster Keaton, this was a great place to start. I've seen clips and references to his movies lots of times, but hardly seen any of the movies themselves. This one has it all: good physical gags, warm characters, acrobatics and Keaton's straight face. He shares the scene with Sybil Seely, who also does a great job. Especially the "flipping wall" stunt with both of them is marvelous. In addition to the performances from the actors, the set itself is quite impressive. An almost avant garde-ish house, built on a turntable, is almost as much a character in the story as the two leads.While the story has a villain, he is only a bit player, setting things into motion. Keaton and Seely are the stars, and I love how the story doesn't resort to playing them up against each other. They are a team all the way through the movie, working together and forgiving each other, only fighting the house.I figured that the movie was a satire on "construction set"-houses, but it turns out to be a straight up parody of a video about these houses. This explains the format of the flick itself, with the hand pulling of sheets from the calendar, etc.Also: I find it fascinating that we do not know who played the villain in this flick. I refuse to believe that the answer is lost, and I look forward to the day it is found.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "One Week" is a 1920 film by Buster Keaton, so not too long anymore until it has its 100th anniversary. This film shows us that building a house was quite a challenge already in the days of silent black-and-white films, especially if you get constantly sabotaged by somebody. Buster and his wife, played by Sybil Seely, are newly-weds and trying to build a house here. Virginia Fox is not in this film, which is unusual for Keaton movies, but he has worked with Seely also on other occasions. Antagonist regular Joe Roberts, however, is in this one too and Edward F. Cline, Keaton's longtime partner behind the camera, also helped out on this one. This is possibly Keaton's most famous short film, maybe also because it is one of very few that managed to make it into the National Film Registry. Still I was not too impressed. I wish they could have kept this at 15 minutes max and only included scenes with the duo, the antagonist and the house and not the partying in-between etc. Not recommended.

ccthemovieman-1 Man, this 19-minute Buster Keaton short is almost too exhausting to watch as one crazy scene after another is shown. This is a wild and always-entertaining short, considered one of Buster's best. It's total lunacy.Newlywed Buster and his bride (the pretty Sybil Sealey) get a "portable house" as a wedding present. When they get to the site, they find out they have to build the house themselves.A poor loser who lost the girl, "Handy Hank," sabotages the house-building process by fouling up the numbered directions. When finished, the house is a little strange, to say the least! One look and you are guaranteed to laugh out loud. Anyway, there's work to be done decorating and adding a few more little things like th chimney or trying to fit a piano through a front window.A calendar is shown throughout the movie and we see the daily "progress." Obstacles are many but the couple persists and kisses their way through all the problems. Most of the film turns out to be sight gags and slapstick, especially when they have their "housewarming" at the end of the week and a big windstorm literally turns the house into a "merry-go-round."If that isn't enough, you should see the ending when the train.......