Flitterwochen im Fertighaus (1920) watch online HD

Buster gets married, and as a wedding present his uncle gives him and his new bride some land and a house to go with it, but only when they get to the lot do they realised that the house is not yet assembled!

The framing device of the week both gives Keaton the opportunity to devise seven comic episodes, and also gives the whole piece a wonderful unity. I rank this alongside The Boat (1921) as one of Keaton's best shorts, alongside The Electric House (1922) for the best use of gadgets (in case you didn't know, Keaton trained as an engineer, and so his films are filled with marvellously clever gadgets), and alongside The Scarecrow (1920) for general fun and enjoyment.

For me, this was THE perfect Keaton comedy.

What a wonderful short feature this is - it's very funny, filled with creative gags and exciting stunts, and also quite charming. The plot follows newlywed Buster and his wife in their first week together, as they attempt to build, furnish, and settle into their new 'do-it-yourself' home. There are lots of very wacky moments, with a great variety of inventive comic material. It's also quite endearing to watch the young couple having to contend with all the difficulties they face in setting out together. Keaton is really good at making his character sympathetic without getting bogged down in pity that would detract from the great humor.

"One Week" deserves its reputation as one of Keaton's finest achievements. It's a must-see for anyone who has even a passing interest in silent comedies.

One Week and The Scarecrow are the only two silent films that I can watch over and over and over and laugh like a maniac each time I see them. I have seen hundreds of silent films and seen hundreds of performances, but there is no performer, past or present, who was as versatile, good-looking, and out and out funny as Buster Keaton. He is the king to which all comedians should aspire and he leaves Chaplin thousands of miles behind in terms of comedy. Personally, I can't watch Chaplin without being all too aware that I'm supposed to be in a music hall. Keaton, however, isn't hindered by his vaudeville roots and can make a laugh-out-loud domestic comedy using vaudeville tricks without making it seem like a recreation of a vaudeville routine.

How is it possible that 19 minutes of film can hold so much clever, fast paced comedy? I was blown away by not only the overpowering visual effects that set off the whirlwind ending inside the house, but also by some of the little touches that can be found throughout the film. There's one scene in particular that stuck with me as one of those fantastic little touches, it's when the bride (Sybil Seely, what a great name) is in the bathtub taking a bath and she accidentally drops the soap. As she innocently reaches over to pick the soap up from the bathroom floor, the cameraman sticks his hand over the lens to insure her privacy from those watching the movie. In a movie where there's a lot of wall building, it is a scene like this one where Buster successfully knocks down the proverbial fourth wall of film-making.

There's really no point in trying to describe the amazing sight gags, the breath taking gymnastics and pratfalls that are all staples of a Buster Keaton comedy, you should just watch it for yourself. And as far as early Buster Keaton films are concerned, this one is a MUST SEE.

10/10. Clark Richards

The first Keaton 2 reeler to be released (he had already made 'the High Sign' but, considered it to weak to be his debut solo effort). 'One Week' is a gem of a movie. Newly weds, Buster and Sybil are given a house and plot of land by an Aunt and Uncle, however, Handy Hank, who lost out to Buster for Sybil's hand in marriage, sabotages the pre fab house by changing the numbers on the boxes, the result is the oddest looking house, however to the newly weds it's home. Various mishaps occur, especially when they have relations over for a house warming. The film climaxes with one of the best double crosses in movies, I hate to spoil films by telling people the ending, just watch it for yourself and enjoy. Just to clear something up, Keaton did not break both arms doing a stunt in this movie, as written by an earlier reviewer, although he did get injured doing a stunt causing swelling to his back and arms. However he did suffer a broken ankle filming 'The Electric House' and broke his neck, which went undiagnosed for 13 years, this was always blamed on a stunt in 'Sherlock jr' Keaton is the king of the silent comedies, his movies from his golden period of film making stand the test of time, the humour is fresh and innovated, his stunts, which everyone knows he did himself are breathtaking and he shows an aptitude for the art of film making that places him among the greatest ever. His decline after losing his independence is tragic, both for him and movie fans as we are left to wonder what he could have achieved if he's been allowed by MGM to make the movies he was capable of, our only consolation is the treasures he did leave behind.

An early Buster Keaton short which still has an enormous amount of charm all these years later, and which has plenty of laughs throughout its running time.

First there's a wedding, and the newlyweds almost don't make it to their wedding night; and then there is the portable house they have to start from scratch! Of course this means the house looks wrong, it falls down, lots of stunts and scenes are set up to make the audience gasp and chuckle, and so on.

'One Week' is a really fun film and one which is timeless. Keaton would make many more shorts and his great feature-length movies were yet to come, but this is charming snapshot of what was to come.

Man, this 19-minute Buster Keaton short is almost too exhausting to watch as one crazy scene after another is shown. This is a wild and always-entertaining short, considered one of Buster's best. It's total lunacy.

Newlywed Buster and his bride (the pretty Sybil Sealey) get a "portable house" as a wedding present. When they get to the site, they find out they have to build the house themselves.

A poor loser who lost the girl, "Handy Hank," sabotages the house-building process by fouling up the numbered directions. When finished, the house is a little strange, to say the least! One look and you are guaranteed to laugh out loud. Anyway, there's work to be done decorating and adding a few more little things like th chimney or trying to fit a piano through a front window.

A calendar is shown throughout the movie and we see the daily "progress." Obstacles are many but the couple persists and kisses their way through all the problems.

Most of the film turns out to be sight gags and slapstick, especially when they have their "housewarming" at the end of the week and a big windstorm literally turns the house into a "merry-go-round."

If that isn't enough, you should see the ending when the train.......

Monday September 26, 2005 7:00pm The Seattle Paramount Theater

"Here's your house!"

"One Week" begins with church bells and happy guests throwing shoes and rice. The Groom (Buster Keaton) picks up a pair he thinks might fit then tries to kiss his Bride (Sybil Seely) in the back seat of their car. They are always kissing. If his rival, "Handy Hank" wasn't stuck to them like glue everything would be hunky dory. The newlyweds are given a vacant lot with a kit house for a wedding gift and Hank changes the numbers on the boxes. The result is a do-it-yourself disaster that spins like a top in a storm as house guests fly out the doors. "I've had a lovely afternoon on your merry-go-round. It'll be better when you put in your hobby horses." Don't forget the motion sickness pills. Seely is adorable, spinning on a piano stool in the storm, painting a valentine on the house and taking a bath. When she reaches for the dropped bar of soap a hand comes from behind the camera to cover the lens!

Keaton was now out on his own, no longer working with Fatty Arbuckel. 'One Week'was his first independent film. Joseph Schneck produced the film, having done work on the Fatty and Keaton shorts. The team of Buster Keaton and Eddi Cline directed and did script work as would follow in most of Keaton's other shorts. 'One Week' is definitive of Buster Keaton's style. It is purely gag over narrative. Keaton's performance is more important than the story, and that was pretty much how all his later movies worked. Keaton also enjoyed capturing the world around him as it happened. His stunts in this movie did not rely on editing. The house really did turn, the train sequence was real. This was a good beginning to what followed.

Followinng an approximately 3 year 'apprenticeship' working as a supporting player for Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton got his own deal with Joseph M.Schenck Productions. Arbuckle having moved on to Feature Films, Mr. Schenck needed someone to fill the void (Nature and Hollywood both abhor a vacuum!). Buster was elevated to the Starring role in the 2 reel comedy shorts.

His time as Second Banana was surely well spent. His own starring vehicles proved to be up to those of any other and could only serve as a little glimpse into what future Keaton projects would be like.

His first film(to be released, though not necessarily the earliest to be produced) was ONE WEEK (1920). In it is perhaps the Genisis of the Keaton Film, all of his own, to come. His collaborative effort with Director Edward F. Cline worked very well, as the film moves through the calendar week in brief, episodic installments. The scenes build slowly, deliberately until a peak is reached. Like a finely made jeweled watch, there is no part of the film is out of place.

For this production, a basic formula is followed. The Protagonist, Keaton, is pitted against the insurmountable and unchanging natural laws of physics and our world. And before long, we come to understand that Mr. Keaton's little man hero may well be the first known exponent of Murphy's Law. Remember it? "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong." Just being lucky enough to be able to view Buster's battles with the Laws of Physics and the complications that are certainly and progressively to be thrown into his path.

Mr. Keaton's trials and tribulations on his path to success always seem to involve both the Art and the Science. And they always seem to work counter productively to our Hero.

Sort of like his Life Experiences.

Having read through every other comment, there's nothing much else to add as regards the plot. I came across this short on the 'college' special edition DVD which also contains 'The Blacksmith'. I'd seen both shorts previously on a cheap release. The superior quality of this release encouraged me to give a higher rating which isn't always the case.

From start to finish, 'One Week' is a scream! The viewer never quite knows what will happen next, and generally is struck with the thought that "Well, I think I know what's going to happen, but surely it won't" - and it of course DOES happen !!! So many good gags, so many touching scenes that's it's difficult to pick one. If push comes to shove, I'll vote for the final one. 'One Week' always leaves me with the feeling that once is NOT enough; I just have to watch it again ...

This film was remade with sound and with different actors in the early 1930s and was entitled A PUT UP JOB--though the results weren't quite as wonderful as this thoroughly enjoyable Keaton short. Oddly, the remake is NOT listed on IMDb, but I just recently saw it on a DVD called "The Paramount Comedy Shorts 1929 - 1933 - Cavalcade of Comedy (1929) ".

The Keaton film is jam-packed with great stunts, cute scenes and the most amazing set you'll ever see! Buster and his girl get married. They are given a plot of land and a house kit as a wedding present. However, the man who wanted to marry Buster's sweetie is mad and wants revenge. So, he changes the numbers on the directions and Buster puts up the house anyway--even though it looks like an absolute joke, he doesn't seem to notice.

You really have to see the house--especially when a storm hits--it's a very funny and incredible scene. Later, it turns out they built the house on the wrong lot--leading to yet another even more spectacular scene. Rarely in a short do you see so much money spent on sets and setting up wonderful jokes. A sweet and hilarious film.

'One Week (1920)' was the first of Buster Keaton's independent two-reelers, though 'The High Sign (1921)' was filmed first and shelved until the following year. The story starts out where most romantic comedies end: with a picturesque wedding ceremony, during which adoring friends and relatives toss confetti and, oddly, second-hand footwear. The lucky groom (Keaton) and his bride (Sybil Seely) strike out for their new home, purchased by a well-meaning uncle. Of course, only in a Keaton short must the husband and wife be forced to construct their own house, utilising a do-it-yourself kit that goes awry when the bride's former lover switches the numbers around. The resultant dwelling would not have looked out of place in 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920),' though Keaton is evidently proud of his handiwork, and is thus prepared to overlook the most minor of blunders (such as having the front door on the second-floor). This short served as a trial-run of sorts for the feature 'Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928),' for here we see an early version of Keaton's famous "saved-by-the-window" falling wall stunt.

'One Week' is one of Keaton's finest shorts, with no shortage of imagination, and a continuous string of episodic gags. In one scene, our hero rather coarsely knocks out a traffic policeman, and it's probably no coincidence that the victim is a Charles Chaplin-lookalike. Many of the Keaton's films utilise aspects of engineering, such as 'The Electric House (1922),' in which the actor is commissioned to update a client's home with state-of-the-art technology. In 'One Week,' the product of Keaton's labours doesn't appear quite so impressive, though the house does misbehave is equally hilarious ways. In a vigorous windstorm, the entire building is transformed into a deliriously-spinning carousel, the inhabitants thrown across the room with almost brutal centrifugal force. Leading lady Sybil Seely impressively keeps up with Keaton's comedic antics, even contributing a few laughs of her own, rather than serving only as a beautiful romantic interest. Not that Seely didn't have the "beautiful" aspect covered, the film's show-stopping moment seeing the actress drop her bar of soap while bathing in the tub. A modest cameraman's hand spares us the details, however.

Keaton gets married and is given a lot on which to build a house and the building materials which are in boxes arranged by number. The numbers get altered and the fun begins. Although there are many amusing scenes, the best is near the beginning when Keaton uses a cop to his own advantage. Keaton is deft and efficient.

This short film has Keaton playing a role that is a curious blend of cleverness and ineptitude; and it is this uncertain persona that is the major weakness of the film. Nevertheless Buster Keaton is a great comic and the house-building provides many chuckles.

Although usually credited as Buster Keaton's first film as an independent artist, following his successful partnership with Roscoe Arbuckle who by this time had moved into features, ONE WEEK was in fact the second to be shot. Keaton did not consider his first two-reeler THE HIGH SIGN to be quite sure-fire enough to let it serve as his first release. This may reveal more than a tiny bit of Keaton's discipline as a comedian, as THE HIGH SIGN by any standards is a very funny film. However, Keaton may have been wise in his decision after all, as ONE WEEK provides such an extraordinary sparkle of energy, one clearly sees through that the people behind this film had great fun doing it, which made it impossible to ignore even in the stream of comedy films that came to life through the first year of the Twenties.

The premise is simple enough, but one with inevitable possibilities for comedy; and it gets even funnier if you know its initial source. With ONE WEEK, Keaton is reported to have done a parody on a commercial he had seen (in a movie theater, of course), where it was demonstrated how a cozy house easily could be built in just one week, if one follows the instructions of a "build-it-yourself"-set. So much for that: newlyweds Buster and Sybil Seely (beautiful leading lady who would only appear in two more of Keaton's shorts) received said set as a wedding gift, but things turn out differently than predicted when "the one she turned down," Buster's rival, changes the packing crates. Day by day we follow the couple's struggles throughout the week, who refuse to declare their house inappropriate for living even when it clearly is a mess; that is, until the brutal ending which takes place on peaceful Sunday, which I won't reveal here.

With ONE WEEK, Buster Keaton made it to the top-ranks among comedians in two-reelers almost overnight, and predestined an extraordinary career in the years to come. The characters may barely be explored, and end up appearing quite one-dimensional in the midst of all mechanical objects and "trick-property," but for pure fun and laughter, the film must rank among the best of all silent comedies. As a final mention, note that this film marks the first appearance of Joe Roberts, whom Buster had known since his years in vaudeville; though given only a minor role here, he would soon function as a Goliath-like creature to Keaton in his films, much like Eric Campbell did to Chaplin in the Mutual-period of the latter.

"One Week" is a real extravaganza. Proceeding from a wonderfully one- step-too-absurd-for-reality premise that Buster Keaton has been given a build-it-yourself house, it builds constantly and with perfect timing on increasingly mind-boggling an original stunts and visual gags on what must be one of the most elaborate and iconic comedy props in history -- the ramshackle, crooked house that Buster builds and the ends up spinning gloriously as it blows in the wind and ingeniously rolling along on barrels when he and his new bride find themselves on the wrong lot.

It really encapsulates brilliantly within two reels Keaton's incredible and unique comedic and visual imagination. Each gag tops the last perfectly, and visual concepts are played out on the large scale of the house set in constantly surprising ways. Although the action is almost completely mechanically driven, the pace never flags and the film builds as impressively as if there were an intricate plot. And, of course, the closing gag involving a train is among the greatest in history. It's difficult to describe something as finely-tuned as "One Week" except to say that is has to be seen and appreciated; with Laurel and Hardy's "Big Business" it forms a pair of impeccably-orchestrated house- destroying silent comedies for all time.

Amsterdam has this tradition of theatres that invite prominent musicians of the city to play orchestra during an old classic silent movie. I got an invitation from my office friend – Lucy Wilson to watch one of such shows. As never in my life I have seen such a thing, I immediately accepted the invitation. It was a show of three short silent movies (20-25 minutes) of the great Buster Keaton – The Electric House, The Frozen North and One Week.

Buster Keaton started his career as playing Laurel's part in "Laurel and Hardy" series, but soon captured the silent era imagination with great classic silent movies - obviously with reminiscence of Charlie Chaplin style.

The first movie The Electric House – was about a person who by mistake is given a job of an electrician in a house. Buster Keaton innovates and imagines all possible electrical appliances possible in 1920s – more or less we see a lot of them today. Hats off to this genius for his visionary power! The second movie The Frozen North – is about a person who dreams himself as a bad guy of Wild West with a gun on a frozen snow clad landscape. It is a wonderful comic take on what a man can think of doing if given some heroic movie image.

The third movie One Week – is about a newly married couple who get a portable house as a gift and their attempt to assemble it together. The laugh starts when they mix the number of boxes and end up in creating a house that has everything fitted in the most inappropriate way. It was amusing.

I loved all the three movies. This was also my first viewing of Buster Keaton movies and I enjoyed it a lot. Added experience was this live orchestra on organ / piano being played that was in synch with the movie scenes.

Highly recommended movies! (Stars 7.5 out of 10)

Building a marriage and a life is a lot like building a home. No one knows quite what to do and directions are unreliable. You can end up with a Norman Rockwell house, picket fence and all, or you can get the cubist deal, the Dionysian existence -- which do you think is more fun?

This is Keaton at his absolute best. It's remarkable to think that it's the first release on which he had artistic control. He must have been supersaturated with creative energy and ideas at that point. The special effects and physical humor are staggering -- honestly, some of this stuff will drop your jaw.

I wonder what the German Expressionists thought about it.

Buster Keaton is just married and gets a do-it-yourself kit house from the ex-boyfriend of his wife. What he didn't know is that this fellow has changed the numbers. So after one week of building a very strange house is completed. The front door is on the first floor and the roof is not entirely on the house. But never mind, Keaton is still giving a housewarming party.

In only twenty minutes Keaton puts an enormous number of gags. This is pure slapstick, but it's from a kind that's still funny after all those years. As usual he does all the stunts himself which results in both his arms being broken after a fall out of the window. Keaton proves to be the greatest comedy star of his time

A house. Not assembled. A young couple. And a week. One of the most seductive films of Buster Keaton. For imagination, for the feel to see an animation, for lovely-dramatic story - the storm has a lead role- for the end and for the trait of genius. Something sad - magic defines this short film. One of the lovely ones for its humor and for the beautiful way for explore the force of details.

So how does one build the foundations of a marriage? Hmm...

In all seriousness, this is a prototype on how to stage gags and execute them with the kind of seemingly effortlessness that made Buster Keaton so endearing (and of course there was so much effort, and the sleight of hand quality to how he would, say, fall out of a window or have a space in the window in case part of a house fell on him, was all part of his trickery).

In One Week, Buster gets married, and, due to some skulduggery from the wife's ex - he changes around the numbers in the order for the "Build a House" kit that Buster's uncle gives him - the house is a mess. No, this is not some figurative thing, the house looks like it was designed by Picasso! But the couple try to make it work, and yet the house sometimes does some odd things, like spinning uncontrollably on its really whacked axis, spinning the house-guests that Buster and his wife have over right out the door.

The 'portable house', the kind of thing that seems ubiquitous for that time period and yet nearly 100 years later almost sounds rather promising as if it could still exist, is a wonderful vehicle to spring gags, and of course putting together a house (with the metaphor of putting together a film not lost on me) opens the door for so many gags and, believe me, Keaton and his collaborators go for all of them. There are some I just couldn't believe that involve breakneck physical dynamics involving parts of the house bending and how holes need to be laid just in place, and then of course the unexpected that gets the biggest laughs: when Buster tries to drive the house to another location - nailing the car's back seat to the house siding for good measure - the car keeps driving off as he and the seat stays put!

What I liked a lot here is that underneath the frustration of putting this house together and the hazards of it, there's real love and affection between this couple. They're newlyweds, and for all the downs that come their way, through all of the moments where it looks like Buster's about to be down for the count (or he does just seemingly wild things like climbing down a ladder and *switching sides* from front to back while in mid descent), they show each other love and affection. There's this honest, serious bedrock, and all of the comedy is based on all of the obstacles that come in their way and that we want to see them overcome (the actress, Sybil Seely, is quite good too).

This is filmmaking virtuosity on display, and to say it holds up is an understatement; it's stunt-work is remarkable (see how Buster goes from one car to another in that brief chase right after the wedding, and how the cars go off in ways that shouldn't work physically but it's still awesome), and I found myself laughing not because of how balls to the wall it gets. Also, more to the point, the gags *work*, and its all from incidents that build one on top of the other, to where it finally gets to the Picasso house spinning around. Genius.

A newly wedded couple attempt to build a house with a prefabricated kit, unaware that a rival sabotaged the kit's component numbering.

There is that constant debate between who was better: Chaplin or Keaton? Everyone more or less agrees that Harold Lloyd was third. And I think generally Chaplin wins, as he is the bigger name. But Keaton really had the physical comedy down, as shown here with some of his great stunts. Falling, stuck between two cars... he put his body on the line in ways Chaplin never would.

Although Keaton sort of petered out in the sound era, we have to look at shorts like this and see he was just brilliant with the gags. They hold up perfectly today (2015), and probably always will.

ONE WEEK

Buster Keaton and his new bride labor to build a house from a kit. There's not much of a narrative arc to speak of, but the premise allows for some pretty funny physical gags. And inventive ones, too... such as when the entire cockeyed structure is rotating around on a giant lazy susan. Keaton is endearing and charming as ever, and although we don't get to see Sybil Seely do that much, she certainly is a cutie-pie. The ending makes a terrific capper to this fun little short with plenty of laughs.

Rating: 8/10

This comedy short, written and directed by Ed Cline and Buster Keaton, is mainly about the very distorted house that Keaton built from a prefab kit for a said portable house. Buster and his bride, played by Sybil Seely, are the main characters. Joe Roberts shows up a few times, as the rejected suitor, who causes Buster to build his crazy house by altering the numbers on the boxes of the prefab parts, causing Buster to put the wrong things together in some cases. There are several especially memorable scenes. One has a section of the house wall rotate upside down on a central pivot. Then, it falls down right where Buster is standing. The upper window hole is exactly where Buster is standing. Hence, he escapes being killed. This gag was done the previous year in "Back Stage", starring Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster. The difference is that the house side was made of cardboard in the former case vs. wood in the present case........Next, there is the dramatic scene of the house rotating rapidly, supposedly driven by a very strong wind, with rain. The rotation causes the already grossly misshapen house to become even more misshapen. Meanwhile, the guests inside are being tossed around. Sybil is spinning quickly on the piano stool. Every now and then, someone is hurled out a window, or jumps out. This scene goes on too long, in my opinion. A third very memorable scene occurs when the two are moving the house to the correct lot number(99 instead of 66),which is on the other side of the railroad tracks. Unfortunately, the rope between the car and house breaks when over a railroad track. Buster nails the house to the backseat of the car, and turns on the motor. The lower part of the chasse pulls away, leaving the upper passenger part attached to the house. It's just of matter of time before a train will plow into it. Will save them from having to tear it apart by hand.......There are lots of other gags I will let you discover.......See it on YouTube.

After working as a support player in Roscoe Arbuckle movies (who moved on to make feature films) Buster Keaton earned his first starring role in his own short film. After the the wedding the Bride (Sybil Seely) and the Groom (Buster Keaton) receive a portable house as a wedding present. All the necessary stuff to build the house are packed in the boxes, but Buster's rival, Handy Hank messes up the numeration of the boxes, so Buster and his new wife are having quite a trouble with putting the house together.

'One Week' being the first real Buster Keaton movie, one can see how amazingly complete the film is - Keaton's acting and directing style were almost fully developed by this early stage in his career. That only is proof that how good of a student Buster Keaton was to Arbuckle. Talk about apprentice surpassing the master.