Steamboat Bill, Jr.

source: Steamboat Bill, Jr.

This is considered to be one of Buster Keaton's greats, but I couldn't understand why until the final ten minutes. Up to that point, it's a very dull, basic formula: steamboat captain reunites with an estranged son, furrows his brow when the boy isn't as manly as he'd like, forbids his courtship of a competitor's daughter and is, eventually, shown the error of his ways. Keaton is the son, of course; a flighty, effeminate young man with a delicate step and an aversion to violence. He conjures up a few lightly amusing set pieces - testing caps in a haberdashery, scuffling with hired muscle, sneaking out for a midnight rendezvous - but none of it feels particularly fruitful. Not until that closing scene, when a cyclone rolls into town and Keaton basically discards the plot to have some fun. Then, suddenly, it's a physical comedy manifesto, replete with the kind of chaotic, disaster-inviting stunts that made his career. Most striking is the famous falling frame bit, where the star (once again) risks life and limb by pulling a full-blown house down around himself, but really, the entire climax is thoroughly astounding. That's where the sizzle lives, Keaton being Keaton without the constraints of an unconvincing romance or a bumbling old man to work around. The wind-swept catastrophe is pure dynamite, but the preceding acts really make us earn it.

Buster Keaton must prove his bravery to his strict father, and he rises to the occasion under the most urgent circumstances: a destructive hurricane! The plot is very slight, but there are some good gags, and the justly celebrated final sequences are indeed awesome, giving Keaton the chance to perform many incredible stunts.

Buster Keaton's swan song as an independent filmmaker (before being swallowed into the MGM assembly line) tears a page from Mark Twain and trims it to fit his own unique character, with the Great Stone Face playing the hapless son of a rough-and-tumble riverboat pilot no longer able to compete against a wealthy corporate rival. The story is a clever variation of the familiar Romeo and Juliet scenario from Keaton's 'Our Hospitality' (even the Steamboat Bill surname-Canfield-is borrowed from the earlier film), and follows the classic silent comedy formula, showing Buster's transformation in the title role from hapless nitwit to heroic man of action, saving his father, the old man's rusty but trusted paddlewheel steamer, and (of course) the girl. Included along the way are some of the comedians best routines, from the unforgettable cyclone climax (in itself a catalogue of classic moments, and yet another reminder that Mother Nature was always Keaton's most reliable ally) to the quieter moment when Buster, using the camera as a mirror, tries on a variety of hats, including the familiar pork-pie of his two-reelers (which he guiltily tosses away). The director's credit is strictly nominal: this is a Buster Keaton comedy, and after all these decades the laughter hasn't dimmed whatsoever.

'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' perhaps marked the end of a golden era for fans of silent comedy genius Buster Keaton. The film was the last produced by Keaton's independent production team before his move to MGM, from which point, it is often said, his work had a marked decline in quality. However, having not yet seen any of Keaton's later works, I am still reserving my judgment. In any case, let us return to the tour-de-force that is 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' The first half of this film is amusing, without being uproariously so, basically acting as a lead-up to the fantastic climactic storm sequence. The crusty, irritable captain of a battered steamboat (Ernest Torrence) receives a letter from his estranged son, informing him that he has plans to visit after so many years of separation. However, Steamboat Bill Sr's enthusiasm at having the assistance of a younger version of himself quickly evaporates when Steamboat Bill Jr (Keaton) arrives in town, sporting a delicate moustache and a sophisticated French artist's hat. Furious, Bill Sr sets about improving his son's image, only to find that his son won't accept any drastic changes quite so willingly. Bill Sr is even more aghast when he discovers that Keaton has already fallen in love Marion King (played by Marion Byron, just seventeen years old when the film was released), the pretty daughter of John James King (Tom McGuire), his arch enemy and main rival in the steam-boating business. This section of the film contains some clever sight gags – including a hilarious routine involving a multitude of different hats – but it noticeably lacks the frenetic energy and remarkable stunt-work that is the reason we love to watch Buster Keaton. The second half of the film, however, is a completely different story. When a destructive cyclone bears down upon the small riverside town, all hell breaks loose, and young Steamboat Bill Jr finds himself wondering precariously through a crumbling labyrinth of abandoned streets and buildings. As he endeavours to rescue his father, who is locked up in the local jail, Keaton endures the savagery of the hurricane winds and flying debris, frequently dodging tumbling building walls. The storm is probably the most ambitious extended silent comedy sequence since Harold Lloyd scaled the skyscraper in 'Safety Last! (1923),' and it is remarkable how, in the absence of any elaborate special effects, it all seems so believable. The storm effects were created using six powerful Liberty-motor wind machines and a 120-foot crane, and directors Charles Reisner and Keaton (uncredited) unleashed the machines' wrath on $135,000 worth of breakaway street sets specially built for the film. In one extremely memorable stunt – which has since become legendary – Keaton stands willfully still as an entire building wall tumbles down on top of him, his only saving grace being the attic window that was intricately positioned to pass over his body. Believe it or not, there were no optical tricks employed to pull off this shot; the wall was very much solid, and Keaton's death would have been very much real had he positioned himself incorrectly. Reportedly, half of the film's crew walked off the set on the day that this stunt was performed, lest it went horribly wrong and Keaton was killed. If all this wasn't remarkable enough, then consider this final fascinating observation: throughout the entire stunt, as the mammoth wall thunders down upon him and his entire life hangs in the balance, Keaton doesn't even flinch once

This is my personal favourite Keaton film(Just above the General and Sherlock Jr)making me laugh continuously every time I watch it.It contains some of his all time best scenes- the prison sequence (Buster trying to convey to his father that yes he really does want the bread) and the hat shop (Self-referentialism goes way back-and was that a Chaplin Bowler he threw off in disgust?)and a touching father-son relationship-unusual in that Buster's relationships to other people in his films are usually fairly token. (Villain,girl) And of course the cyclone sequence with one of the most famous shots in Silent Film history.

These early Buster Keaton movies are always both fun and charming to watch. The movie is mostly fun because of its physical humor and charming because of the almost childish innocence that is in Keaton's performance. The movie also has a lot of comedy in its dialog. Surprising for a silent movie. Like often, the movie also further more features a cute little love-story involving Keaton and the young Marion Byron. The story isn't much special and it's very typical for a '20's silent genre movie. It's however fun and interesting enough to hold your interest throughout but of course the movie is not dependent of it. The concept and its settings provides the movie with a couple of entertaining, silly and also original moments. Once more Keaton also shows us his skills as a stuntman. He does some extreme dangerous stuff here. Of course stunts in those days were also much more dangerous than now, no matter how often much more spectacular it's looking all. Some of the things he does in this movie are really amazing, with of course the spectacular classic ending as the highlight- and most impressive of them all, when a cyclone hits the town and Keaton manages to run across collapsing buildings without getting hit and without him getting blown away, while also other large object are flying at him. A great watch. 8/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Buster Keaton is one really good actor.I didn't know who he was before I saw this movie, but I really enjoyed the physical comedy in this movie. Nice story as well. The part when he saves everybody at the end, and the part where he tries to save his father and brings a bread to prison is a classic. It must have taking him a lot of guts to do his own stunt (see wall falling around him)

I had never seen this before and finally watched it last night. The majority of the film up to the last 10 minutes is pretty standard silent movie making with not much to stand up and take notice of. For the life of me I don't know how Keaton didn't kill himself or break his bones as he repeatedly falls or flips or is thrown down large distances. He just gets up, dusts himself off, rubs his head a bit and then gets back to work. It is much fun to watch but you think, this has got to hurt, doesn't it? I mean, it would hurt me if I had any of these pranks fall upon me. What everyone talks about is the last part of the film where a huge storm blows throw the small town. You can see that the wind is all artificial and that's fine. What is so hilarious is how it makes Keaton look, as he tilts, leans and wallows against a fantastically strong wind and rain storm. The special effects of having buildings crash down all around him are breathtaking and very funny. Obviously he and the director had to block out exactly to the square inch where Keaton had to walk lest a crumbling building crush him as it came down. There are some buildings that appear to fall out of the sky and then within seconds are torn apart, all of the wooden beams just collapsing within inches of Keaton as he struggles to move out of the way. One after the other, building after building is torn up and Keaton is dashed about like a leaf in so many hilarious attempts to stay on his feet. How he didn't get seriously hurt in that section of the film is purely miraculous. There are some rather obvious limitations to the special effects at that time but as we watch we don't care: it's just so much fun seeing how Keaton avoids getting demolished as the sets are dismantled in such a fury. The hurricane scene is one of the marvels of the history of cinema and is worth waiting for at the end. Keaton, with Chaplin, was a master of physical humor, often at the expense of what must have been terrific punishment for his body. No one would be allowed by a producer or director or insurance company to make these types of films today. The closest I have seen anyone come to this is the hair raising antics of Jackie Chan; and we should remember that he has broken so many bones in his body in the process of making his films. I am not aware of how badly Keaton suffered, but he must have had his bruises along the way. Terrific silent action but ridiculous musical score added only most recently; the film transfer was fine. Keaton at his best, not to be missed.

Okay. Obvious bit first. This is indeed the source of the most famous scene in all of silent comedy (alongside, perhaps, Chaplin's cogs and Lloyd's clock). Caught up in a hurricane, hiding under a bed that's whisked away in the wind, Buster staggers to his feet only for the front of a house to fall all around him. Except - the tiny window falls directly over Buster. Who just stands there, staring. We've all seen this a thousand times or more. Before I even knew who Keaton was I'd seen this scene. But even now, going back to watch it (again and again) - it's an extraordinary moment. Keaton had two nails hammered into the ground, marks for his feet, and two inches of room either side. Two inches left, two inches right, Buster would have been killed. Dead centre, and it's wondrous. Perfection. It had to be. And he doesn't even FLINCH. But there's something else about it... Here's a scene, the big scene, not just expensive but incredibly dangerous. Half the crew refuse to watch. Anywhere else, you might imagine this stunt as the grand conclusion, milked for all it's worth. But that was never the Buster Keaton way. Everything had to be done perfectly (the golfing accident in Convict 13, for example, 78 takes...), and if that meant nearly killing yourself for a few seconds three quarters of the way through, so be it. Do the perfect gag, move on, do some more. Extraordinary. Staggering. Unbelievable. But, heavens, there's more, so much more... from Buster throwing away his own hat in disgust, to the dough that fell into the toolbox, to Buster's seemingly limitless capacity for wearing clothes under his nightshirt, to all those stunts in the hurricane, to the ingenious ending - a joy, an absolute joy. Unremittingly wonderful. So this makes him better than Chaplin? Forget it. All I hear is competition, comparison, Keaton better/not better than Chaplin, Laurel better/not better than Lloyd, and all combinations in between. IT DOESN'T MATTER. This could only be a Keaton film, in the same way that Chaplin's best is unmistakeably Chaplin, Lloyd's best unmistakeably Lloyd, Laurel's best unmistakeably Laurel (and Hardy). There's no point bickering. There aren't any prizes to be won. Just accept - just rejoice - that for a brief few years, some of mankind's darkest years, the world was blessed with four unique comic geniuses. It probably never happened before, it maybe never will again. We were, are, will be, all of us, amazingly lucky to have them. And to always have them. So pull up a chair, grab a drink and a loved one, and settle down to this glorious film. And when it's done, stick on 'The Kid' for good measure... and 'Liberty'... and 'Never Weaken'... ... and rejoice ...