Three Ages (1923)

Three romances in three different time periods: prehistoric times, ancient Rome and contemporary (1923). All feature the same five actors playing similar characters. Boy (Buster Keaton, who also directed), girl (Margaret Leahy), villain (Wallace Beery), father (Joe Roberts) and mother (Lillian Lawrence). Very loosely a satire of D.W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE which used a similar structure but perhaps insurance that if the film flopped, they could be released as shorts. As it stands, while not one of Keaton's triumphs, it's a delightful comedy with that most athletic of silent comics Keaton doing pratfalls and sight gags that have you laughing out loud more often than not. The film is filled with terrific comedic moments like Keaton giving a lion a manicure in ancient Rome, dictating a stone age will and an amusing football game where he's practically a rag doll against the brute strength of Berry's bully. At a brief running time of a little over an hour, it allows the multi tiered storyline to not wear out its welcome.