How a sabotaged kit house became the blueprint for Buster Keaton's cinematic genius
In short: Released in 1920, One Week was Buster Keaton’s first independent production. This two-reel silent comedy, featuring a house built from renumbered crates, transformed slapstick into an art form. By moving away from plot-driven narratives, Keaton established the visual gags and structural excellence that would define his legendary career in cinema.
One Week was inspired by Home Made, a 1919 educational film from the Ford Motor Company that promoted prefabricated housing. Keaton parodied this concept, using a wedding, a Model T, and calendar pages to track the week-long construction of a home. The title itself was a deliberate play on Three Weeks, a scandalous 1907 novel by Elinor Glyn; Keaton reportedly joked that his film was one-third as risqué as the book.
The film’s production was physically demanding and technically innovative. Many of its most famous sequences, including a house spinning on a turntable during a storm and a dramatic train collision, were captured as real-life events rather than model work. During filming, Keaton suffered a significant injury after falling two stories, requiring treatment with olive oil and horse liniment. The production also featured a fourth-wall-breaking gag involving a bath scene that later became a notable example of pre-Hays Code cinema.
Critics and historians recognize the film as a turning point in Keaton’s style. Kevin Brownlow noted that it established the signature Keaton rhythm: a slow build-up, a frenetic climax, and a final sequence that outmatches everything before it. In his 1975 book The Silent Clowns, critic Walter Kerr described the experience of watching the film as seeing 'a garden at the moment of blooming.' In 2008, the Library of Congress selected it for the National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance.
The legacy of One Week extends far beyond its initial release. It served as a template for Keaton’s future cinematic techniques, including his spare use of title cards and flat comedy lighting. Its influence persisted for decades, with themes appearing in The Three Stooges' 1937 film The Sitter Downers and a 1995 soundtrack release by guitarist Bill Frisell.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: One Week (1920 film)
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