Seven Chances (1925)

One day Hollywood producer Joseph M. Schenck went to the theater saw a play by David Belasco. It was a story of a bachelor in frantic need to marry before a given time or he would lose his inheritance. Schenck would purchase the rights to comedic story thinking it would be a wonderful vehicle for one of his most prominent comedic stars, Buster Keaton. Though as a filmmaker that was known as enjoying his own creative freedom in his projects produced by Schenck, Keaton reluctantly accepted the story as his project and would do what he could to make it his own.

Seven Chances is the story of a single man, Jimmy Shannon (Keaton), who is a partner of a financial brokerage, but the business is not looking up. One day he is notified of his grandfathers death and in his will it states that Jimmy would receive a $7 million inheritance, under the circumstance that he be wed by 7pm on his 27th birthday, and would luck have it which happens to be this very day. Well, after his partner convinces him that this would help to company, he proposes to his girlfriend (Ruth Dwyer), but her negative reaction to the reason of why he did so sends Jimmy off to find a bride that would allow him to marry her to claim his prize. He is set up multiple times to find the lady that will say "yes", but to no avail, or more humorously his own reluctance to the lady. (Thus the title Seven Chances).

The first half of the film follows more or less along the original plot of the stage play while the second half serves more as a Keaton film. It becomes publicly known of Jimmy's situation and the possible $7 million at stake if his being married. All of a sudden it seems women come from everywhere trying to get a piece of him as his fortune. And the chase is on as women of all shapes and sizes, with their makeshift wedding veils come after Jimmy. Gags of the classic Keaton stile fill this part of the film as he is at first blissfully unaware of the mob pf women forming behind him. His athleticism is really showcased as he spends this half of the picture running, jumping, and tumbling as he attempts to avoid this gathering of women, including the memorable climax of the chase where Buster is sent running down a rock covered hill propelling dozens if not hundreds of rocks and boulders chasing after him down the hill as he runs, falls, and somersaults for his life. Just when he gets away it appears all hope is lost and the hour of his last chance had past his girlfriend wants to know if they could marry still if it where for love and not money. Just as they discover they have a minute to marry Jimmy is already performing the vows, marrying the one he loves.

Unlike most Keaton films this one was an adaptation of another piece of work. Keaton enjoyed his creative freedoms in his films and to have a film pushed upon him to do did not make him particularly happy. As half of the film was based more or less on the given story with a few Keaton style moments, he used it more as a vehicle to produce the gags and stunts he was use to in the second half of the picture. The scene with the avalanche of rocks chasing him down the hill would be one of the most memorable gags Keaton would preform (as most of his films seems to have at least one memorable stunt in them), but it is believed that this one was discovered perhaps by mistake. For as he was filming the chase sequence down the hill, Buster did hit a few rocks that would come tumbling down after him, and after a test screening it was discovered that the rocks chasing him created a whole new layer of comedy, so a reshoot was ordered and numerous paper mache rocks were added.

Despite this not being one of Busters favorites, the film has heart and the laughs that make it very enjoyable. Not only was this picture enjoyed by many, but the concept was he hashed many times over. Examples can be seen in Three Stooges shorts, many cartoons, and even in The Bachelor (1999). "The Great Stone Face" Buster Keaton had done it again. Though is wasn't completely his creation, it is a very entertaining motion picture that joins the ever growing library of Keaton films.