Sometimes you just want to revel in the artistry and talent of cinema of yesteryear, so I decided to dig into a Buster Keaton film I hadn’t seen, Go West.

It’s charming and Keaton who stars and directs knows how to make the magic work. His character, simply referred to as Friendless in the credits, wanders from town to town, trying to find odds and ends to make his life work.

At a trainyard he has a look at the destination of each of the box cars, and initially selects New York, but after the hustle and bustle, he decides to strike out west. Unfortunately he tumbles out of the train car and ends up on the middle of the wild west. Or at least a cattle farm.

Finding suitable wear, he pleads for a job from the Owner of the Diamond Bar Ranch (Howard Truesdale) and finds a possible romance with the Owner’s Daughter (Kathleen Myers). He also finds himself a new friend in Brown Eyes, a young cow, that Friendless doesn’t realize has been tagged to be shipped off to the slaughterhouse.

There are lots of charming moments, the wind blowing his hat off, and Keaton nimbly grabs it and replaces it on his head. In fact, the film is filled with wonderful moments like this. In fact, there is a wonderful chemistry between Keaton and the cow.

Keaton knows how to create moments, and he knows the camera can’t move, so he picks the best shots that will tell the best story. There are some great bits, as the friendship between Brown Eyes and Friendless grows. There are so many things that were just delightful, the derringer in a big holster, the sheer fact that Keaton looks so small next to everyone else in the film. All the animals in the area running from Friendless anytime he comes near, except for his giant horse, and his cow friend. Or trying to walk like a bow-legged cowboy.

It’s all magic.

And in the end, will Friendless be able to save his bovine friend, and save the ranch by getting the rest of the cattle to the stockyards in time?

There’s something about the magic and innocence of early cinema, its stunt work, its craftmanship, the sheer effort of bringing these simple stories to the screen. It’s wonderful.

I know I’ve seen Keaton’s big films, but I may need to dig into more of his films very soon. Keaton was a master. I really enjoyed this one.