Cops (Buster Keaton, 1922)
Cops is a black and white, silent film made by Buster Keaton and released in 1922. It is about a man (played by Keaton) who manages to unfortunafely get on to the wrong side of the law. Cops was filmed during the rape and murder trial of Fatty Arbuckle which could have inspired Keaton to make the film.The main character (played by Keaton) has good intentions but no matter how much he tries, everything is against him. On his journey to make money to impress a girl, he gets into trouble with various police officers. It all goes wrong however when he is riding a horse down a road in the middle of a police parade.
A bad guy throws a bomb from the roof of a building and lands in Keaton’s lap. The police officers around him notice and step back as Keaton throws the bomb backwards unintentionally. Keaton is then chased by hundreds of police officers around the city until he manages to lock them all up in a police station. The girl he tried to impress walks past and dissaproves of Keaton’s actions so Keaton gives up and opens the doors to the police station. He is dragged in by all the police officers and arrested.
Cops is an American two-reeler released in 1922. The film contains lots of reference to real events and representations. During the early stages of Hollywood and in the early 1900s, police officers weren’t liked since they had authority to command people. People who moved to America for the American dream didn’t like the fact they weren’t free when it came to the police. Cops also represents the social hierarchy seen at the time. The film also shows what it looks like in that time since it was filmed on location at that time.
Part way through the film, Keaton goes to a gland doctor with his stolen horse. The horse comes out and starts jumping around as if it had become years younger. Keaton then goes in and comes out the same. This is a reference to a problem that swept through America during the time of filming where older people would pay criminals to steal younger peoples body parts to put them into themselves. This of course doesnt work but Keaton is mocking them in the film.
Keaton also represents police officers as clumsy and he makes fun of authority. The film also contains darker aspects, like the terrorist that attempts to throw a bomb at the police parade. The ending also hints at how Keaton’s character would’ve been executed since the title card at the end had his grave on it. I personally enjoyed this, less than the others, but it was still entertaining. I particularly liked the scenes towards the end when he’s getting chased by all the police through the city. My rating is 4/5.