Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

reviewed by
Brian Koller


Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Grade: 59

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." was one of Buster Keaton's last silent films. There are several spectacular stunts, which is Keaton's trademark, but sometimes the story lags.

The plot has a burly riverboat captain (Ernest Torrence) facing new competition from wealthy rival King (Tom McGuire) who has built a "floating palace". McGuire and Torrence despise each other. Torrence's blue-blooded son (Buster Keaton) pays a visit to his long-lost father. Torrence tries to make a man out of him, while Keaton has a greater interest in King's daughter (Marion Byron).

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." is most famous for a dangerous stunt in which a heavy wall falls on Keaton, who survives because his body is positioned exactly corresponding to an open window. The film was also the inspiration for "Steamboat Willie", the animation short that marked the debut of Mickey Mouse.

There are some problems with the story. Byron is not given enough incentive to fall for Keaton. Keaton's character changes to suit the plot. At first, he is comic and clumsy, but becomes an action hero by film's end (a recurrent theme in Keaton's silent films). When Torrence is jailed, Keaton tries to smuggle in a file hidden in a loaf of bread, an unlikely action for his character, and also a foolish action that had little chance to succeed. Finally, the cyclone at the end of the film, while leading to decent slapstick and stunts, is inconsistent, leveling some buildings and boats while others are left completely unchanged. Several people are endangered and must be rescued by Keaton. These people just happen to be the main characters.

http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html


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