Physical Comedy in Sherlock Jr.

To me, the use of gags in Sherlock Jr. was a key part of what made the film so enjoyable to watch.  Since the movie is silent and there is no real dialogue much of the story must by communicated through physical means, including the comedic pieces.  I thought the gags were hysterical and well executed.  Before watching the film, I thought since it was an older movie the gags might be a little cheesey, but to my surprise most of them were pretty unexpected and funny.  The scene where Keaton jumps through the window and into the white case with the lady's clothes in it was my favorite.  I really had no idea what was going on with that white case in the window up until he jumped through it and was suddenly dressed as a woman.  To me, the most successful use of humor in movies is when it's totally unexpected.  I think things are funnier when you can't see them coming.  

Many movies today make use of slapstick humor much like Keaton did in Sherlock Jr.  Over winter break I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and there are many similarities between the humor in that and Sherlock Jr.'s physical style of comedy.  For example when the Dad in Christmas Vacation is putting up Christmas lights he falls off the roof and onto the gutter then from the gutter into the bushes.  It reminds me some of the scene in Sherlock Jr. where Keaton falls from the train onto the water spout, gets drenched and then finally falls to the ground.  In both cases the character could have been hurt but instead his fall is broken a couple times on the way down and this helps to create a comedic, instead of tragic, scene.