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Please don't spend money on this.

One of my all time favorites.

best movie i've ever seen.

True love takes a lot of work - but this is ridiculous!Jimmie Shannon (Buster Keaton) is a partner in a brokerage who can't quite bring himself to propose to Mary (Ruth Dwyer), the only woman he loves. Then, his business facing ruin, he discovers he stands to inherit a fortune if only he gets married that day. He proposes to Mary, but she's put off by his apparent insincerity. So Jimmie is left to find a woman, any woman, who will marry him. Will love prevail?The film is an odd one for Keaton, starting off with a brief color sequence (in 1925) and moving quite slowly for Buster through the first third. The story was one Keaton had handed to him, rather than one he worked on himself, and feels at times like a "ladies' picture," focusing as it does on Jimmie's frustrated feelings and Mary's unhappiness.For a while, Buster's not even the main laugh-getter in the film. For a while, he plays a kind of straight man to troll-visaged Snitz Edwards, playing the lawyer bringing the news of Jimmie's inheritance. Snitz chases after Jimmie and his partner, who think he's a process-server and dodge him, but Snitz prevails. Buster still pines for Mary, saying he can love no other woman (which she happens to hear over a telephone connection, changing her mind), but agrees to bring to bring a woman to church before the deadline out of loyalty to his partner."In case two show up, I'll marry the other," Snitz declares.There are other oddities about "Seven Chances," like racial humor (Jimmie almost proposes to a black woman; a blackface actor plays a thick-headed hired hand) and the "Saphead"-style character Buster plays. It would seem like a lesser Keaton for that, but instead emerges as a masterwork of pacing and narrative. Just as you begin to settle in to "Seven Chances" tea-cozy aesthetic, it ramps things up for one of the great double-rally endings in movie history.There's also a charming sequence where Jimmie tries to find a bride among a list of female members of his country club, the "seven chances" of the film's title. He burns through those chances in six minutes, and then gets rejected by a receptionist (Jean Arthur) and a hat-check girl (Rosalind Byrne) for good measure. The sequence plays with set design and framing to keep you always wondering as to what will happen next.One amazing thing about the film you might not notice is the clever use of panning. Camera pans were still fairly new in cinema; framing was often stationary. But Buster is always in motion, and the camera moves with him. One clever shot, of Buster finding a turtle attached to his tie, apparently employs a treadmill in order to achieve an overhead camera angle.The gags here keep coming, and give "Seven Chances" the feel of a classic Keaton short. Except there's a real story here to be told, and the humor always works to move the ideas forward. It's a classic demonstration of Keaton's ingenuity - even if he didn't have a hand in the film's conception or writing he directed it, and it shows - as well as his ability to find as many ways of making you laugh in as little time as possible.

Thursday July 26, 6:30pm, The Uptown, SeattleA lawyer appears at the office of two businessmen on the verge of ruin. "This man has some kind of a legal paper with him!" "Maybe it's a summons!" On the morning of his twenty seventh birthday, Jimmie (Buster Keaton) learns that his grandfather has left him seven million dollars, providing he is married by seven o'clock on the evening of… his twenty seventh birthday. He immediately proposes to his sweetheart, who turns him down. "He said he must wed someone, and it might as well be me!" In a panic, he pops the question to every girl in town and demonstrates why falling asleep in church is always a bad idea.Beginning with a Technicolor surprise, Keaton's Seven Chances includes the most outrageous chase ever filmed on the streets of Los Angeles, with a heart stopping leap across Beale's Cut. Keep an eye out for Jean Arthur's wedding ring!

Jimmie Shannon (Buster Keaton) is a broker in need of money. When a lawyer comes to tell him he has inherited a certain sum, Jimmie avoids him thinking he may be bringing a summons. And then when he does hear the good news, there's a catch...Directed by and starring Buster Keaton, this film portrays his particular brand of physical comedy, though perhaps not with as much danger as "The General" or as many tricks as "Sherlock Jr." The music of Robert Israel really carries this film. Not just because it's a silent film, but because it's great music -- moving, light and comedic. And there is an implied racial tone... Jimmie passes on proposing to both a Jew and a black woman.I literally "laughed out loud" at this film! It is a shame Keaton considered it his worst film. Who knew it was so hard to get someone to marry you for $7,000,000 (in 1925 money, no less)?

Seven Chances is a lovely reminder of just how larger than life the silent film era's productions could be, and while this particular example of star Buster Keaton is not without it's limitations as direct from the technology at the time, the film still holds up well eighty years on. As a comedy, it is slapstick in nature, and more funny than not, delivering many great visual gags as well as a few instances of wit either derived from the sporadic text, or from Keaton's actions himself. Furthermore, the romantic subplot which plays a large role in the overall arc of the feature is just as effective, if not more-so working to give the film a timeless appeal through it's heart-felt but not overly serious explorations of love. First and foremost however, Seven Chances is simple, light-hearted comedic fun meant to distract and entertain, and that's exactly what it does for the most part. To be sure, the pace can get a little too erratic for its own good at times, and often the wackiness of this generation of cinema can be a little hard to adjust to, but if you can overlook these minor bumps then there is indeed much fun to be had from sitting back and enjoying something a little different from modern cinema.The story which keeps things relatively simple in a neat premise is one that serves the nature of the film well enough to deliver both the subtle romance and the overt slapstick. Keaton here plays 'Jimmie', a stock broker in legal trouble with his partner, who on his birthday learns that he has inherited money from a dead relative, which in turn would solve all his problems. The catch however is that Jimmie has to be married by 7PM that day, or else the fortune would not be passed over to him. What follows on from this rather ridiculous exposition is a fast-paced and well constructed tale that is just as ridiculous, if not even more. It's a staple of the time in that comedy was comedy, and drama was drama, and while there is still plenty of grounding rules present in The Seven Chances, it's one of those films that doesn't feel realistic, but draws much of its laughs from this very feature. Characters are flat and largely uninteresting as people, but as placeholders for ideas of both themes of romance and comedy, they work very well and fulfil their roles as intended.As was the case with many films of the time, the silent film was one that relied heavily on its visuals to do the storytelling, the action and everything in between. Seven Chances is no exception here, as, with very little in the way of text to support the plot, much is put on Keaton and crew's shoulders to deliver the punches when required. As a pure visual treat, the film is vintage ice cream. Presented in unassuming sepia, and with action usually much too fast than reality would warrant, the film posses a distinct charm which, in combination with its superb direction is always entertaining to watch. The action, which takes place upon many different sets and locations, is frantic and manic, showcasing choreography that thrills even more than modern blockbuster epics do nowadays.To be fair, all the running around (particularly the final fifteen minute chase) can be a bit of a mixed bag, delivering some great excitement, but also some other much more unsuccessful scenes which are more superfluous than necessary. With the help of Keaton though, much of these moments remain a joy to watch regardless of how long they seem to drag on for, and for the sheer spectacle of the thing, which when taking into account the fact that Keaton did all his own stunts, and coming from a time when CGI was science-fiction, is pure cinematic magic. Buster himself is top-notch throughout, filling the lead role as performer and director superbly, bringing with him his unique charm, charisma and stage presence that helps meld the whole production together into an ambitious, but simple-on-page piece of entertainment; good fun, some great laughs and a touching dash of romance on top.For more of my reviews, please visit here: http://www.invocus.net