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Steamboat Bill, Jr. 1928 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Charles Reisner
NR, 71 min. |
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Starring: Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest Torrence, Tom Lewis, Marion Byron
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck
Screenplay: Carl Harbaugh
Cinematography: Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings
Distributor: United Artists
Released: 5.20.28 |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Steamboat Bill, Jr. was the last of the great Buster Keaton silent films, a legacy of films that include the masterpieces
Sherlock Jr. and The General.
Despite the pleas from his friends, he signed a career-busting contract with MGM shortly after the making of this film for
long-time producer Joseph M. Schenck. Keaton's abandonment of independent features, coupled with the end of the silent era, marked the end of his magical run of physical comedies.
Though the film was directed by Charles Reisner, Keaton was involved in every aspect of his film, especially
how his scenes should be filmed. Known as a fearless stuntman, he caps his brilliant career with a jaw-dropping stunt
near the end of the picture - it's hard to imagine any living stuntman willing to risk this type of danger today. Steamboat
Bill Jr. combines a simple narrative with gripping action sequences that were awe-inspiring at the time it was released
in 1928. Keaton's slapstick humor, which rivals any Chaplin film, keeps the viewer laughing while also questioning the
sanity of his antics. Although it's considered a masterpiece in many circles, the film is a notch below Keaton's quintessential
works (the aforementioned Sherlock Jr. and The General).
Keaton plays William Canfield Jr., the son of a steamboat captain, William Canfield (Ernest Torrence), who has returned home to see his
estranged father. Shocked at his preppy clothes and short stature, his father takes him on as an apprentice anyway to
help his old steamboat, "Stonewall Jackson," stave off stiff competition from a new steamboat, "King," owned by
rival John James King (Tom McGuire). King's daughter, Mary (Marion Bryon), is also home from the same college that
Bill Jr. attends and attempts to forge him into a steamboat understudy. However, things quickly heat up between William and
King when Bill Jr. and Mary become romantically involved. Now Bill Jr. must grow up quickly if he is to rescue his father
from jail and save Mary from a devastating cyclone that rips through the town.
The film is largely remembered for its final ten minutes, which includes the astonishing stunt involving the side of a house
collapsing on Keaton, who is unhurt because he stands where a window falls. The grand nature of the cyclone and its
affects on the town are considerable for an independent feature, which lacks the funding provided by a studio. Seemingly
everything is destroyed - houses are lifted from their foundations and trees uprooted from the ground - except for
Keaton's incredulous apathy towards the danger that surrounds him. In one scene, Keaton is seen hugging a tree as it
whisks across the town and into the nearby river. Keaton has a sense of great timing, not only in his ability to generate
laughs with his orchestrated body flops, but also in how he frames each scene - most are long shots so the audience can
see everything around him. His zany stunts are what we remember.
The technical nature of Keaton's films are impressive. His tight control of how scenes were framed heighten the viewer's
attention to detail. Keaton loves to inform the audience while his character is oblivious to impending danger. This keeps
the viewer one step ahead of his every move - something that audiences can appreciate. In observing some of these
amazing stunts, one has to wonder how Keaton wasn't seriously hurt on more than one occasion. His intense concentration
to everything on camera allows him the freedom to push his comedic schtick to its limit.
Of course, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a comedy, and a very good one. The characters are given enough depth to service
the storyline and to become pawns in a game that Keaton frames around their unsuspecting dilemmas. The film's
running length is a perfect 71 minutes - just long enough to keep things at a frenetic pace - and doesn't allow unnecessary
baggage to bog down the narrative. And Keaton's direction and distinct acting make this film and his entire body of work
one the cinema's greatest treasures.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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