Film #029 - Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Viewed January 29, 2006
Watching the (so far) mostly disappointing Roscoe Arbuckle / Buster Keaton shorts put me in the mind to see something with a bit more substance. The only Keaton feature that I owned, but had not seen, was his final film before going to work for MGM, Steamboat Bill, Jr., so I went ahead and watched it. And what a difference!
Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a true classic from Keaton. Unlike many of his contemporaries (I’m looking at you, Chaplin!), Buster’s movies always seemed to be more than just an excuse to string jokes together. (Chaplin would eventually begin making films with more depth, but not for years.) Not that Keaton didn’t string jokes together, it’s that they seem to be much more integral to the plot.
Keaton also had the knack of casting just the right people. His leading ladies (such as Marion Byron here) were always beautiful, but also strong and well-rounded as characters. His villains were rarely cardboard cut-outs, but fully realised people, with motivations and both good and bad points. In Steamboat Bill, Jr., this role is filled by Tom McGuire as businessman John James King who owns most of the town and also happens to be the father of Buster’s love interest. The portrayal of the bitter feud between Keaton’s steamboat Captain father (a wonderful love/hate performance from Ernest Torrence) and King explodes due to the involvement of their children. The “Romeo and Juliet” aspect of the story leads to a good bit of pathos, but none of it seems manipulated, rather it feels natural and real.
But more important than these considerations is the fact that Steamboat Bill, Jr. is funny. Very funny. The jokes come in every form: slapstick, visual gags, witty dialogue, you name it. It shows the kind of diversity of humor in which silent films excelled. With audiences not expecting non-stop talking, the careful pacing of jokes was more common. The willingness to lay down the groundwork for a gag is lost for the most part in today’s world of rapidfire and blunt comedy.
Buster’s trademark daredevil stunts are on display here, as well. (One of the last chances to see this kind of thing, as MGM was reluctant to let their cash cow risk his life.) A spectacular storm that literally flattens the town around Buster’s head stands to this day as a singular achievement in real-time practical effects.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a silent film that has stood the test of time. If not as well known as Keaton’s most popular films, The General (1927) and Sherlock, Jr. (1924), it easily holds up against it’s better-known brethren. Keaton would only show this absolute control and skill on a feature film one more time: in The Cameraman (1928). Because of this, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is worth watching if only to see a master at the peak of his skill, just before his great fall. Think of the many laughs as a bonus.