Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr."

Sherlock Jr. by Buster Keaton is the first silent film that I've seen, and after getting past the fact that I was only going to be listening to music accompaniment and reading the dialogue I really began to enjoy the piece.

One of the first examples of a "gag" scene is the part with the dollar bills and the trash pile. The young projectionist finds something in the window of the shop next door, it seems to be a box that he would like to buy. To his dismay the he only has $2 while the box costs $3. Despite trying to barter with the clerk he leaves the store in disappointment. The first significant thing I notice is the fact that he tried to barter at all, sort of reflecting the times as it is an uncommon practice nowadays. When returning to his trash pile in front of the cinema the Keaton finds a paper stuck to his foot, and after many attempts at displacing the paper, he ends up passing it off to a man walking out of the building. This is an example of a gag being used for comedic purpose, and as one of the first comedic elements in the film, it is quite effective. There is also irony due to his qualm with money while the man walking out happens to flipping through cash in his wallet. This kind of comedy seems bizarre and silly to my eyes but I can imagine it’s simplicity and sheer parody was appreciated at the time.