Three Ages

Yes, Three Ages is generally recognized as Buster Keaton's first feature-length film, released in 1923. It runs approximately 63 minutes, a significant expansion from the two-reel shorts he had been producing. Keaton both directed and starred in the film, alongside co-director Eddie Cline.

The film tells three parallel romantic stories set in the Stone Age, ancient Rome, and the modern 1920s, each following the same plot of Keaton competing for a woman's love against a larger rival. The intercut structure was directly inspired by D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916). Wallace Beery plays the rival suitor across all three time periods.

Three Ages is in the public domain and is freely available on YouTube, the Internet Archive, and various streaming platforms. Kino Lorber has released restored Blu-ray and DVD editions with updated musical scores. Silent film festivals also screen it regularly as one of Keaton's most accessible works.

Three Ages is often viewed as a transitional work that allowed Keaton to test the feature-length format while keeping the safety net of three shorter segments. His subsequent features like Sherlock Jr. (1924) and The General (1926) are generally considered more accomplished. However, Three Ages contains some of his most celebrated sight gags, including the famous leap between building rooftops.