Three Ages tells three parallel stories set in different historical periods —prehistoric times, Ancient Rome, and the Roaring Twenties—all focused on a single theme: romantic rivalry. In each era, two men —a small, clever one (Buster Keaton) and a big, brawny one (Wallace Beery)— compete for the love of the same woman, played by Margaret Leahy. The film humorously suggests that while times change, the pursuit of love remains timeless.

This was Buster Keaton’s first film as a writer, director, and producer in the feature-length format. Released in 1923, Three Ages was conceived as a parody of D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916)—a monumental film that used cross-cutting to link multiple time periods. Keaton takes this structure and turns it into a light-hearted comedy about romantic competition across the ages.

Interestingly, the film was also a safety net for the studio: Keaton was already a proven star in short films, but not yet in features. If Three Ages had failed, each of its three segments could have been released as separate short films. Luckily, the experiment paid off, and Keaton secured his place as a major figure in feature-length silent comedy.

Each historical setting offers its own flavor of visual gags and comic invention:

• In prehistoric times, Keaton wields bones and stone tools, fights caveman rivals, and tries to impress with raw resourcefulness.

• In Ancient Rome, the satire takes aim at gladiators, toga-clad banquets, and classical hero tropes.

• In the modern age, Keaton confronts contemporary challenges like automobiles, golf clubs, and nosy policemen.

This setup allows Keaton to showcase his mastery of comic timing and physicality across wildly different backdrops, while also satirizing the cultural obsessions of each era.

Three Ages prove the point that man's love for woman has not significantly changed throughout the history.

Trivia

• The film was structured so that it could be broken into three short films if the feature format didn’t succeed. It wasn’t needed.

• It’s a direct parody of Griffith’s Intolerance, but with a comic rather than epic tone.

• Wallace Beery, who plays Keaton’s rival in all three segments, later won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932.

• Leading lady Margaret Leahy was cast via a talent competition in London, despite her limited acting experience.

• The modern segment features some of Keaton’s most inventive gags with everyday objects, including a ladder, a telephone, and a runaway car.

The Soundtrack

Three Ages allowed Caspervek to approach the scoring of a slapstick comedy soundtrack in a slightly different way. The usual classical jazz and swing sounds that Caspervek frequently uses in musicalizing this kind of film are put together with references to Roman music and the tribal sounds of prehistoric times. The film was premiered by a trio of clarinet, piano and percussion. Later, a quartet version was made, adding flute as well.