Sherlock Jr. (1924) | The Film Index

Film Record

Sherlock Jr.

Country: United States
Release: 17 APR 1924
Runtime: 45 min
Original Language: English

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A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.

Why It's Here

One of the great early films about cinema itself, Sherlock Jr. turns moviegoing, projection, and fantasy into the subject of the story. Keaton makes the screen feel porous, using the film-within-a-film device to explore spectatorship, dream logic, and the uniquely cinematic ability to reorganize space, time, and physical reality through editing.

What to Watch For: Study the projection-booth and dream-entry sequence, especially the moment the body seems to cross into the screen world. Watch how the comedy depends on exact framing, match cutting, and abrupt spatial transformations, with each edit turning stable space into a visual trap. Keaton’s deadpan performance is just as important: the face barely moves, but timing, posture, and gaze make thought visible.