Seven Chances and Sherlock Jr. (Blu-ray)

Seven Chances and Sherlock Jr. are two dazzling comedies that showcase Buster Keaton’s genius for super-sized slapstick. Presented in new restorations by Lobster Films from the Blackhawk Films Collection, these masterpieces have never looked better. Seven Chances tells the story of an eligible young bachelor who must marry by 7:00 p.m. in order to receive a $7 million inheritance. A newspaper announcement provides him with more fiancées than he can handle, setting in motion the most epic and surreal chase sequence of Keaton’s career. Sherlock Jr. is a brilliant deconstruction of the filmmaking process. Keaton stars as a movie theatre projectionist who dreams of becoming a super-sleuth, and, in one breathtaking sequence, literally steps into the screen to bring his fantasies to life. *Audio commentary for Seven Chances by film critic Adam Nayman
Audio commentary for Sherlock Jr. by film critic Matt Singer
*A Brideless Groom (1947, 17 min.), a Three Stooges short that recycles the premise of Seven Chances
*How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns, a 1904 Edison short directed by Edwin S. Porter
*Music for Seven Chances and Sherlock Jr. by Robert Israel