Go West (1925 film)
| Go West | |
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| Directed by | Buster Keaton |
| Produced by | Buster Keaton Joseph M. Schenck |
| Written by | Buster Keaton Lex Neal |
| Starring | Buster Keaton Kathleen Myers Howard Truesdale Ray Thompson |
| Music by | Konrad Elfers |
| Cinematography | Bert Haines Elgin Lessley |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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69 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
Go West (1925) is a silent movie starring Buster Keaton.
Keaton portrays Friendless, who travels west to try to make his fortune. Once there, he tries his hand at bronco-busting, cattle wrangling, and dairy farming, eventually forming a bond with a cow named "Brown Eyes." Eventually he finds himself leading a herd of cattle through Los Angeles.
Seventy years after the release of the film guitarist Bill Frisell recorded a soundtrack accompaniment Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (1995). The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra premiered its new score for the film in 2007.
A drifter identified only as "Friendless" (Keaton) sells the last of his possessions, keeping only a few trinkets and a picture of his mother. Unable to find a job in the city, he goes west and manages to get a job at a cattle ranch despite having no experience. Meanwhile, a neglected cow named Brown Eyes fails to give milk and is sent out to the field along with the other cattle.
As Friendless tries to figure out how to milk a cow, he's told to go out and help the other ranch hands bring in the cattle. Unsuccessful in riding a horse, he falls off and sees Brown Eyes. Noticing her limp, Friendless examines her hoof and removes the rock that had been hurting her. Brown Eyes proceeds to follow Friendless around, saving him from a bull attack. Realizing that he's finally found a companion, Friendless strikes up a friendship with the cow, giving her his blanket at night and attempting to protect her from wild dogs. The next day, Brown Eyes follows Friendless everywhere, much to the chagrin of the other ranch hands. Friendless accidentally sets two steers loose after they'd been corralled in, but on the joking suggestion of the other hands, brings them back in by waving his red bandanna.
The ranch owner (Truesdale) and his daughter (Myers) are preparing to sell the cattle to a stockyard, though another rancher wants to hold out for a higher price. The owner, no longer wanting to wait, prepares to ship the whole herd out. Friendless, shocked to hear that Brown Eyes will go to a slaughterhouse, refuses to let her go. The ranch owner fires him and gives him his wages. Friendless tries to buy his friend back with his earnings, but is told that it's not enough. After failing to get more money from a card game, he joins Brown Eyes in the cattle car and tries to find a way to free her. The train is ambushed by the other rancher and his men. Friendless and the ranch owner's other hands manage to drive off the attackers, but only Friendless makes it back to the train as the others chase away the rancher.
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