Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) directed by Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton
If there is one iconic shot from Buster Keaton's career and perhaps all of silent cinema it may be this one. Keaton is standing in front of a rickety old house and suddenly the face of house falls forward on top of him with only the open attic window preventing him from becoming a human pancake. Without even flinching, the window fits neatly around Keaton as the house falls down. It is a simple yet remarkable stunt and showed the courage of technical know-how of the early pioneers.
In Steamboat Bill, Jr., Keaton plays Willie Canfield returning home to see his father Steamboat Bill, captain of an old riverboat on its last legs. Bill Sr. is in the middle of a feud with John James King who's just completed a brand new luxurious riverboat meant to drive him out of business. King has a daughter, Kitty, who is also returning home. As luck would have it, Willie and Kitty have a Romeo and Juliet style romance going on much to the chagrin of their parents. Willie must work hard to prove himself to his disapproving father and to prove his love to Kitty.
There are classic bits of silent comedy and sight gags you would expect from a silent film and it moves along nicely, but it is not until a violent storm comes through that the fireworks really begin. The stunt work in the latter parts of this movie are quite spectacular including the aforementioned falling house scene.
I know I am working from a limited sample size of two, this and The General, but at this point I think it's safe to say that I prefer Chaplin over Keaton. While I think Keaton is by far the better stuntman, I think Chaplin is actually a better physical comedian and his films are just funnier. But not only that, they are also more heartfelt and leave a lasting impression. Though Steamboat Bill, Jr. has a richer plot than Modern Times, City Lights or The Circus, I didn't connect with it like I did in Chaplin's films. Even though there is a romance and a father-son dynamic in the film, I didn't really feel it. That isn't to say Keaton is an unconvincing actor or his films lack sentiment or emotion, I just wasn't into it like that. It is like when you hear a singer's voice. Many people can sing well, but often times your personal favorite isn't going to be the one with the best voice but the one with the unique quality that connects personally to you. All that being said, I think Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a fine movie and probably better than The General in my opinion.
Grade: B+
If there is one iconic shot from Buster Keaton's career and perhaps all of silent cinema it may be this one. Keaton is standing in front of a rickety old house and suddenly the face of house falls forward on top of him with only the open attic window preventing him from becoming a human pancake. Without even flinching, the window fits neatly around Keaton as the house falls down. It is a simple yet remarkable stunt and showed the courage of technical know-how of the early pioneers.
In Steamboat Bill, Jr., Keaton plays Willie Canfield returning home to see his father Steamboat Bill, captain of an old riverboat on its last legs. Bill Sr. is in the middle of a feud with John James King who's just completed a brand new luxurious riverboat meant to drive him out of business. King has a daughter, Kitty, who is also returning home. As luck would have it, Willie and Kitty have a Romeo and Juliet style romance going on much to the chagrin of their parents. Willie must work hard to prove himself to his disapproving father and to prove his love to Kitty.
There are classic bits of silent comedy and sight gags you would expect from a silent film and it moves along nicely, but it is not until a violent storm comes through that the fireworks really begin. The stunt work in the latter parts of this movie are quite spectacular including the aforementioned falling house scene.
I know I am working from a limited sample size of two, this and The General, but at this point I think it's safe to say that I prefer Chaplin over Keaton. While I think Keaton is by far the better stuntman, I think Chaplin is actually a better physical comedian and his films are just funnier. But not only that, they are also more heartfelt and leave a lasting impression. Though Steamboat Bill, Jr. has a richer plot than Modern Times, City Lights or The Circus, I didn't connect with it like I did in Chaplin's films. Even though there is a romance and a father-son dynamic in the film, I didn't really feel it. That isn't to say Keaton is an unconvincing actor or his films lack sentiment or emotion, I just wasn't into it like that. It is like when you hear a singer's voice. Many people can sing well, but often times your personal favorite isn't going to be the one with the best voice but the one with the unique quality that connects personally to you. All that being said, I think Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a fine movie and probably better than The General in my opinion.
Grade: B+
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