Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Three Ages

Three Ages is a 1923 American film starring, co-directed by, and co-written by . It is Keaton's first feature-length film, structured as a of D.W. Griffith's epic Intolerance (1916), presenting parallel stories of romantic rivalry across three historical periods: the , the , and the modern era of the . In each segment, Keaton's character, the Hero, competes with a brutish rival () for the affection of the Girl (Margaret Leahy), incorporating Keaton's signature physical comedy, stunts, and visual gags. Co-directed by Eddie Cline and produced by , the film was released on September 24, 1923, with a of approximately 64 minutes. It marked Keaton's transition from short films to features and received positive contemporary reception for its innovative structure and humor.

Production History

Development and Inspiration

transitioned from producing short films to feature-length projects in 1923, driven by the growing audience demand for his comedic style and the encouragement of his producer, , who pushed for the more lucrative format to capitalize on Keaton's rising popularity. This shift built on Keaton's prior short films, which served as experimental building blocks for the narrative and he would expand in features. The film's inspiration stemmed directly from D.W. Griffith's 1916 epic Intolerance, with Keaton deliberately parodying its ambitious structure of interwoven stories across historical periods by creating three parallel narratives set in the Stone Age, the , and the modern to mock the earlier film's grand scale while emphasizing the timeless nature of romantic rivalry. This approach also provided a practical safeguard: if the feature failed commercially, the segments could be released separately as two-reel shorts, reflecting Keaton's cautious entry into longer-form filmmaking. Script development began in early 1923, with work starting in and taking nearly five months to complete. The screenplay received official credit to Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez, and Joseph Mitchell, though Keaton contributed uncredited ideas and revisions as the project's director and star. Keaton structured the modern-era story first, then adapted the romantic rivalry theme to the prehistoric and settings, ensuring comedic consistency across eras.

Filming and Techniques

Principal photography for Three Ages took place from January to March 1923, under the direction of and . Interiors were shot at the Metro Studio on in , while exteriors spanned multiple sites tailored to the film's three historical eras. The sequences utilized the rugged "" area at Iverson in Chatsworth for its natural rock formations evoking prehistoric landscapes. Roman-era scenes leveraged the newly constructed to simulate an ancient arena, augmented by set designs from Fred Gabourie and glass shots for the structure. Modern Age exteriors included downtown locations like the former Hill Street Tunnel and the 1600 block of , with the sequence filmed at the former Bovard Athletic Field on the campus. Keaton's production emphasized his signature deadpan expression and athletic prowess through elaborate physical stunts, all performed by the actor himself without contemporary safety equipment to ensure authenticity. Notable examples include the high-speed race in the segment, where Keaton navigated a pulled by dogs amid a sudden snowfall, and the chaotic game in the , showcasing his agility in tackling and dodging opponents. Additional gags highlighted innovative techniques, such as a rooftop leap between buildings that incorporated an 18-foot jump and 35-foot drop via a lid, and stop-motion in the style of Willis O'Brien for dinosaur effects. The film employed sophisticated , including foreground miniatures to expand the scale of the stadium crowd scenes. Intertitles played a key role in advancing the narrative and delivering punchy humor, bridging the parallel stories across eras while parodying the multi-threaded structure of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. The final runtime measured approximately 63-64 minutes, intended for projection at 24 frames per second, the emerging standard for silent features by the mid-1920s. Production faced logistical hurdles in synchronizing costumes, props, and sets for the distinct historical periods, requiring meticulous coordination to maintain visual consistency without modern aids. Keaton's insistence on executing the majority of action sequences personally minimized reliance on doubles, heightening both the film's and the risks involved in an predating advanced protections.

Cast and Characters

Principal Roles

Buster Keaton portrayed the unnamed protagonist, referred to as "The Boy," as a resilient underdog suitor navigating romantic pursuits across the , , and the . His performance exemplified his trademark "Great Stone Face" combined with extraordinary athleticism, enabling elaborate physical gags that highlighted the character's ingenuity and determination against overwhelming odds. This role represented Keaton's debut as the lead in a feature-length , building on his vaudeville-honed skills from over a dozen short comedies produced for . Margaret Leahy appeared as the love interest, "The Girl," a passive beauty pursued in each historical period to contrast Keaton's hapless . An inexperienced 21-year-old actress, she was cast primarily for her appearance after winning a "New Film Star" contest organized by Schenck, making Three Ages her sole major screen role before she returned to civilian life. Wallace Beery played the antagonist, "The Villain" or rival, as a physically imposing brute whose aggressive tactics clashed with Keaton's cleverness, emphasizing comedic rivalries rooted in Beery's established background as a burly from early silent films. Throughout the film, the protagonist's characterization maintains a unified arc of repeated setbacks transforming into triumphs, customized to era-specific props and challenges—such as wielding a stone club in or leveraging sports in the —to embody the timeless romantic underdog .

Supporting Performers

Lillian Lawrence portrayed the Girl's mother across the three historical eras in Three Ages, delivering authoritative opposition in family scenes that heightened the romantic rivalry. As a veteran stage actress with a debut in the 1881 The Royal Middy, Lawrence infused her role with seasoned dramatic poise, appearing in approximately 20 films during her career. Joe Roberts, a frequent collaborator with from his period, played the Girl's father as an imposing authority figure whose preference for the rival character created key obstacles for the . Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, Roberts' large stature provided a stark physical contrast to Keaton, enhancing comedic timing in gags involving intimidation and pursuit; he appeared in nearly 20 Keaton productions, often as a heavy. The film employed numerous uncredited extras and bit players to populate its crowd scenes, including athletes portraying competitors in the chariot race and modern sequence, as well as roles such as priests, slaves, and gladiators that bolstered the historical settings. Notable among these were Kewpie Morgan in multiple bit parts like a cave man, thug, and the , contributing to the visual scale of spectacles like the coliseum events. These supporting performers amplified the film's ensemble dynamics through synchronized and exaggerated mannerisms, ensuring the parody's historical stereotypes felt lively without eclipsing the leads; Keaton's reliance on trusted collaborators like Roberts from his earlier facilitated seamless integration of these elements.

Narrative Structure

Plot Summary

The Three Ages unfolds as three parallel, intercut narratives depicting the romantic pursuits of The Boy (), The Girl ( Leahy), and The Rival () across distinct historical periods, framed by perusing a titled Three Ages. In the Stone Age segment, The Boy courts The Girl amid cave dwellings, but her parents prefer the burly Rival for his physical prowess. The Boy seeks guidance from a tribal and plucks daisy petals to divine The Girl's affections, then attempts to incite jealousy by approaching another woman, only to be repelled by her superior strength. The rivalry intensifies into a club-wielding where The Boy cleverly affixes a stone to his weapon for an advantage, yet the Rival's treachery leads to The Boy being bound to a mammoth's in a perilous chase involving dinosaur-like creatures. After escaping a trap set by the Rival, The Boy prevails in a fierce boulder-throwing contest, defeating the antagonist and claiming The Girl by dragging her triumphantly back to his cave. The portion mirrors the pursuit, with The Boy wooing The Girl in ancient forums while the powerful Rival, favored by her influential parents, schemes against him. The Boy consults a and repeats the daisy-plucking , followed by a failed jealousy ploy against a robust . As gladiatorial training unfolds, the emperor decrees a race to settle the suitors' contest, where The Boy's team of dogs pulls his vehicle through snowy terrain and urban chaos. Sabotaged by the Rival, The Boy tumbles into a but subdues the beast with improvised grooming tools before a coliseum showdown; he rescues The Girl from the Rival's clutches during the emperor's games, securing her favor through daring and . Shifting to the 1920s modern era, The Boy, a mild-mannered , vies for the wealthy The Girl against the affluent Rival, whom her parents endorse for his status. Amid workouts to build his , The Boy again plucks petals and tries to spark at a social event, but ends up battered by the other woman's escort, with the Rival's aid. The competition turns to a brutal game where The Boy's team barely holds against the Rival's, highlighted by innovative plays and fumbles. Framed for bootlegging with a hidden flask, The Boy faces arrest but learns of the Rival's exposure at the station; he escapes in a makeshift phone booth contraption and interrupts the in a high-speed auto race pursuit, ultimately abducting The Girl to elope victoriously. The narratives converge in a resolution where The Boy triumphs over the Rival in each timeline, winning The Girl's through persistence and ingenuity, with an showing their domestic bliss diminishing across —from a brood of children in the Stone Age, to a smaller family in , to just a pet dog in modern times—emphasizing the cyclical nature of romantic success. The segment transitions include brief parodic nods to epic films like D.W. Griffith's Intolerance.

Themes and Parody Elements

The central theme of Three Ages revolves around the timelessness of romance and human , portraying and rivalry as enduring constants across historical epochs. By intercutting parallel stories set in the , , and the modern , the film uses era-specific props and scenarios to illustrate these universal motifs, such as depicting athletic contests—from club fights to Roman gladiatorial battles and contemporary —as metaphors for social and romantic strife, emphasizing that human drives remain unchanged despite technological or . The film features a recurring , with the female lead as the object of the two male suitors' desire, the rival as a physically dominant and socially advantaged figure favored by her parents, and Keaton's protagonist as the clever who prevails through ingenuity. The film employs a satirical of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), mocking the epic's grandiose multi-era structure by condensing it into a comedic framework that critiques the pretensions of historical spectacles through exaggeration. Rather than Griffith's solemn exploration of and , Keaton simplifies the narrative into lighthearted vignettes of , using parallel editing not for moral profundity but to heighten absurd humor, thereby lampooning the epic genre's self-importance. The humor relies predominantly on visual gags rather than intertitles or dialogue, leveraging anachronisms for ironic effect, such as cavemen engaging in proto-sports like hurling boulders in a football-like game or using primitive tools in ways that mimic . These elements create comedic dissonance by imposing contemporary behaviors on historical settings, prioritizing laughs over historical fidelity. Historical liberties abound for comedic exaggeration, including the anachronistic coexistence of cavemen and dinosaurs, which defies paleontological accuracy to facilitate sight gags like animated prehistoric beasts interrupting romantic pursuits, underscoring the film's intent as entertainment rather than educational depiction.

Release and Availability

Initial Release

The Three Ages premiered in the United States on September 24, 1923, marking Buster Keaton's debut as director of a feature-length film. Distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation prior to its merger into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was positioned in marketing as Keaton's major entry into full-length comedies, with promotional posters vividly depicting the spectacle of its three historical eras—the Stone Age, ancient Rome, and modern America—to draw audiences with its innovative parallel structure._Poster.jpg) Following completion of production and editing in the summer of 1923, the release strategy emphasized the film's comedic elements through cards that prioritized humor over dramatic narrative, appealing to theatergoers familiar with Keaton's . Promotional tie-ins linked the movie to popular sports events, such as games and auto races, to capitalize on contemporary interests and broaden its appeal beyond traditional crowds. The was profitable. Internationally, the film had its world premiere in on June 25, 1923, as a sold-out screening attended by and , with added for non-English territories to facilitate wider distribution.

Home Media and Restorations

The original elements of The Three Ages were among the many films threatened by neglect and decomposition in the decades following its release, with prints circulating primarily through collector Rohauer, who acquired damaged materials from Keaton's personal collection in 1954 and undertook restorations during the 1950s and 1960s to salvage stock from deterioration. Home video availability began in the 1990s, with Kino on Video releasing the first edition in 1994 using a 35mm print restored by archivist David Shepard, followed by Image Entertainment's 1995 set featuring enhanced analog transfers and a new musical score. In the DVD era, issued a 2001 edition sourced from a 35mm American release print, including a newly composed score by Robert Israel to accompany the 63-minute presentation. Blu-ray releases marked significant upgrades in the and , with International's 2010 edition offering a transfer from a 35mm despite some visible flaws from . The film's accessibility expanded in 2023 through two major editions: the Cohen Film Collection's double feature with Our Hospitality, distributed by , which presents a 71-minute at 24 fps derived from a second-generation negative and multiple 35mm duplicate prints, stabilized and digitally cleaned for improved clarity. Complementing this, Eureka's Masters of release in August 2023 utilized an HD transfer from original 35mm elements, completed in 2022 by the Cohen Film Collection, emphasizing the film's episodic structure across historical eras. As of November 2025, The Three Ages streams on platforms including and , where its status—confirmed by U.S. copyright expiration for pre-1928 works—enables widespread free and licensed access without renewal restrictions. The 2023 restorations introduce enhancements such as reconstructed original tints in select sequences (e.g., for daylight scenes in related Keaton works, applied selectively here), newly recorded orchestral scores like Rodney Sauer's for the edition, and tracks analyzing the film's of Intolerance and its thematic parallels across ages.

Reception and Legacy

Contemporary Reviews

Upon its release in 1923, Three Ages received mixed contemporary reviews that highlighted both the film's innovative parody of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance through its three-era structure and the challenges of Keaton's shift from shorts to features. Critics often praised the inventive gags and comedic wit while noting issues with pacing and narrative cohesion. Robert E. Sherwood's review in Life magazine (October 25, 1923) was notably positive, lauding the film's elements and gags as a "brilliant " that showcased Keaton's humor across historical periods. Sherwood emphasized the sequence as particularly effective, writing, "Of the three ages, the cave-man part is easily the most comic," and concluded that audiences would have "no trouble whatever in greeting his antics with a hearty laugh," despite acknowledging the plot's meandering quality. In contrast, the Photoplay review from December 1923 took a more critical stance, faulting the film's uneven pacing and stating it was "generally slow and tiresome" relative to Keaton's tighter short comedies, arguing that the expanded format overburdened the with unnecessary dramatic elements. Trade publications echoed this ; for instance, Motion Picture News (1923) reported strong audience laughter during screenings but recommended tighter editing to better suit the epic scope, viewing the film as a promising but imperfect step for Keaton's feature work. The overall 1923 consensus positioned Three Ages as an innovative yet transitional effort in Keaton's oeuvre, blending with in a way that advanced , even as structural critiques tempered enthusiasm; its commercial success nonetheless elevated Keaton's status as a leading comedian. Early re-releases in , which added sound effects and music tracks, drew lukewarm responses from critics who felt the alterations diminished the original 's subtle charm and visual purity.

Modern Assessments and Cultural Impact

In the 21st century, Three Ages has garnered renewed appreciation for Buster Keaton's inventive and satirical edge, despite acknowledged structural inconsistencies. Film critic Dennis Schwartz, in a review, praised the film as a showcase of Keaton's genius, noting its blend of and historical even amid pacing flaws. Similarly, the 2023 Blu-ray release by Eureka's Masters of Cinema series prompted commentary highlighting the restoration's role in revealing Keaton's multifaceted talents as performer, writer, and director, with standout sequences like the collapsing and rooftop leaps underscoring his resilience and precision. Scholarly examinations have deepened understandings of the film's humor, particularly its counterhistorical approach to . In the 2013 anthology The Ancient World in Silent Cinema, Maria Wyke's chapter analyzes Three Ages as a of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance, employing silent laughter to subvert epic narratives across prehistoric, Roman, and modern eras, thereby challenging conventional depictions of through absurd anachronisms and romantic rivalries. More recent analyses in the have explored proto-feminist elements in its rivalry tropes, where the female lead's consistent agency across epochs contrasts with the male protagonists' bungled pursuits, offering subtle critiques of dynamics in narratives. The film's cultural legacy endures through its influence on parodic historical storytelling. It solidified Keaton's reputation as the "Great Stone Face" in his transition to feature-length films, emphasizing his impassive demeanor amid escalating perils. Within silent cinema, Three Ages marked Keaton's pivotal shift from shorts to features, paving the way for contemporaries like and to expand narrative scopes while prioritizing visual gags. Contemporary viewings, including a 2025 analysis of its iconic rooftop stunt, reaffirm the timelessness of Keaton's , where practical effects and daring feats continue to captivate audiences without reliance on or effects. Though not yet inducted into the —unlike six other Keaton features—the film receives frequent screenings at festivals such as the Silent Film Festival, ensuring its preservation and accessibility for new generations.

References

  1. [1]
    Christian Thomsen Founds the "Three-Age" System in Archaeology
    In this small book Thomsen formulated a method of classifying the museum's archeological collections according to whether the artifacts were made of stone, ...
  2. [2]
    The Development of the Three-Age System - Rundetaarn
    The names are the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Thomsen was still careful to point out the exact time frames of the three periods, and in general, he ...
  3. [3]
    [PDF] Early Scandinavian archeology: Thomsen, Nilsson and Worsaae
    Sep 20, 2016 · The first chronological system for dating prehistoric finds: the three-age system of. European prehistory, soundly based on analyses of material ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  4. [4]
    Three Age System in Archaeology | Anthroholic
    ### Summary of the Three Age System in Archaeology
  5. [5]
    Buster Keaton The Short Films Collection 1920-1923 - DVD Talk
    Jun 29, 2011 · In 1923 Schenck and the backers insisted that Keaton abandon short subjects and move up to the more profitable arena of feature film production.
  6. [6]
    Three Ages - San Francisco Silent Film Festival
    Keaton remembered (and was inspired by) D.W. Griffith's Man's Genesis (1912), a Stone Age love triangle Chaplin had parodied in His Prehistoric Past (1914).Missing: development | Show results with:development
  7. [7]
    Three Ages (1923) - Turner Classic Movies - TCM
    Shot in the late spring of 1923, The Three Ages was actually three two-reelers with a common narrative thread combined into a feature-length movie. The film ...Missing: inspiration | Show results with:inspiration
  8. [8]
    AFI|Catalog
    The 24 Mar 1923 Motion Picture News announced that principal photography had ended. Three months later, on 25 Jun 1923, Three Ages premiered in London, England.
  9. [9]
    Three Ages (1923) - Technical specifications - IMDb
    Runtime. 1h 3m(63 min); 55m(Spain); 1h 11m(71 min) (2022 New Restoration) · Sound mix. Silent · Color. Black and White · Aspect ratio. 1.33 : 1 · Film Length. 1,601 ...
  10. [10]
    Three Ages - Silent Era : Home Video Reviews
    Buster Keaton Collection (1920-1937), black & white, color-toned black & white, and color-toned and color-tinted black & white, 1600 minutes total, not ...
  11. [11]
    Three Ages - The International Buster Keaton Society
    Directed by: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline. Release Date: September 24, 1923. Length: 6 reels (5251 feet). Starring Buster Keaton: The Hero.Missing: development inspiration<|control11|><|separator|>
  12. [12]
    Lillian Lawrence Movies List | Rotten Tomatoes
    Lillian Lawrence was an actress who had a successful Hollywood career. In 1881, she made her stage debut in the operetta The Royal Middy.Missing: veteran | Show results with:veteran
  13. [13]
    Full cast & crew - Three Ages (1923) - IMDb
    Three Ages (1923) - Cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more ... Favorite Feature Film Directed by Buster Keaton. Buster ...Missing: development | Show results with:development
  14. [14]
    Three Ages (1923) - A Cinema History
    Nov 25, 2019 · The film also features impressive stunts that Keaton mostly performed himself. Particularly notable are a scene where Keaton ... football game ...Missing: sequence | Show results with:sequence
  15. [15]
    The Three Ages | Rotten Tomatoes
    Rating 92% (13) Buster Keaton's first feature film is a romantic comedy parody of D. W. Griffith's 1916 film Intolerance. Three stories in three different settings but have the ...
  16. [16]
    [PDF] the three ages (1923) - Film Forum
    Keaton, who said he had D.W.. Griffith's Intolerance in mind, described the concept in a 1958 interview: “What I did was just tell a single story of two fellows ...Missing: inspiration | Show results with:inspiration
  17. [17]
    16 - Silent laughter and the counter-historical: Buster Keaton's Three ...
    Buster Keaton's Three Ages (1923) parodied the complex narrative structure of DW Griffith's Intolerance (1916).Missing: inspiration | Show results with:inspiration
  18. [18]
    THREE AGES: Keaton's burlesque of the 'mythic ages' genre
    Nov 23, 2007 · Abstract. Keaton's first feature‐length comedy, Three Ages (1923), has been interpreted as a parody of D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916).<|separator|>
  19. [19]
  20. [20]
    The "Three Ages" of Cinema Studies and the Age to Come - jstor
    Keaton's comedy suits me because each age dramatizes an insurgent force (Buster's ir- repressible love for a girl) against a formidably entrenched rival. Cinema ...
  21. [21]
    Three Ages (1923, Buster Keaton) - Deeper Into Movies
    Jan 15, 2012 · Three time periods – modern, roman and caveman (with stop-motion dinosaurs) – featuring the same cast: Buster wants The Girl (Margaret Leahy, ...<|separator|>
  22. [22]
    Early Dinosaur Cinema - The Lost World
    Keaton made use of stop-motion for the dinosaur scenes that were missing in Chaplin's effort. The Three Ages. Inspiration for the multiple timeframe approach ...Missing: inaccuracy | Show results with:inaccuracy
  23. [23]
    Three Ages - Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List
    Apr 27, 2025 · Three Ages Also known as Les trois âges in France (1923) United States of America B&W : Six reels / 5251 feet. Directed by Buster Keaton and ...Missing: extras crowd scenes contributions
  24. [24]
    BUSTER KEATON (1895-1966) - Pangborn on Film
    Thanks to film archivist Raymond Rohauer's restoration of Keaton's masterpieces during the 1950s and 60s, Buster finally received long overdue critical ...<|separator|>
  25. [25]
    Three Ages - Rewind @ dvdcompare.net
    Aug 7, 2023 · This material was worked on by restoration expert David Shepard for Kino on Video's 1994 VHS release and Image Entertainment's 1995 three disc ...
  26. [26]
    Three Ages Blu-ray
    Rating 7/10 Nov 9, 2023 · Three Ages is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection, an imprint of Cohen Media Group, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in ...
  27. [27]
    Eureka Masters of Cinema releasing 3 Ages in August
    May 25, 2023 · From a practical standpoint, the film's script moves at a pretty fast pace, so there weren't a lot of scenes that give enough time for the " ...
  28. [28]
    The Three Ages - Kanopy
    A brilliant historical satire teeming with inventive flourishes, Buster Keaton's THREE AGES is a silent comedy of truly epic proportions.Missing: streaming Criterion Channel
  29. [29]
    Directed by Buster Keaton - The Criterion Channel
    Directed by Buster Keaton. 9 Episodes. Arguably the greatest comic genius of the silent era, Buster Keaton turned the adage “less is more ...
  30. [30]
    Three Ages (1923) : Buster Keaton - Internet Archive
    Nov 23, 2024 · Three Ages (1923). by: Buster Keaton. Publication date: 1923.Missing: summary | Show results with:summary
  31. [31]
    THREE AGES (1923) & OUR HOSPITALITY (1923) (BUSTER ...
    Dec 4, 2023 · ... The Three Ages finds and keeps a zany tone which effortlessly moves from timeline to timeline at a zippy, breakneck pace. And neither is ...
  32. [32]
  33. [33]
  34. [34]
    THREE AGES – Dennis Schwartz Reviews
    Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Home · Reviews · Top Ten Lists · Contact. THREE AGES. Post author:eenableadmin; Post published:August 5, 2019; Post category ...
  35. [35]
    Three Ages (1923) – Blu-ray Review - Set The Tape
    Aug 18, 2023 · Masters Of Cinema range, Three Ages is a showcase of Keaton's talents, risking life and limb in pursuit of the big laughs. While Keaton's first ...
  36. [36]
    The Truth about "Caveman Courtship" - JSTOR Daily
    Dec 9, 2019 · The 1923 Buster Keaton film The Three Ages featured a stone-age man dragging his mate by the hair. A 1934 New Yorker cartoon shows a caveman ...
  37. [37]
    Keaton, Buster - Senses of Cinema
    Oct 4, 2002 · During the 1920s, he put out a phenomenal array of rarified, perfectly judged features and shorts, a cinematic jewel-box featuring authentic ...Missing: dynamics class
  38. [38]
    Buster Keaton's Three Ages Leap of Faith
    May 22, 2025 · The movie tells three tales of love, set in the Stone Age, the Roman Age, and the Present Age (i.e. 1923), where against all odds underdog ...Missing: development | Show results with:development