Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) on

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) was the last of Buster Keaton’s independently-produced films with Joseph Schenck before being sold (figuratively, and then some) to MGM, who gradually exercised a growing stranglehold of control over Keaton’s stories, budgets and crew. While MGM’s The Cameraman (1928) is a funny film and was very successful upon its original release, Steamboat Bill, Jr. has Buster Keaton’s personal touches throughout and retains the feeling of an individual artist’s production and not a corporate product.

Buster Keaton as William Canfield Jr. is a buffoon to his father but, as it turns out, resourceful when needed. Ernest Torrance’s performance is always one of the highlights of the films he acted in. The instantly recognizable character actor plays Keaton’s cantankerous steamboat-captain father. Marion Byron’s bright and charming semi-flapper performance adds to the film’s charm. Tom McGuire plays the rich antagonist J.J. King.

Buster has been raised by his sophisticated mother in Boston. His father is a rough blue-collar type, and Buster arrives on the scene for a visit, his first with his father since he was a child. Their incompatible backgrounds make for quite a bit of the early comedy in the film. Buster’s father’s chief competitor turns out to be the father of one of Buster’s college girlfriends. The obligatory Romeo and Juliet conflicts are the underpinnings of the story, which climaxes with a huge windstorm that threatens the whole town.

The film includes one of the most hair-raising and infamous stunts of the silent era. A stunt that could easily have killed Buster had anything gone awry. Fortunately, nothing did and we have available for viewing one of the great moments in film history. During a high-wind storm, the side of a house falls down and nearly flattens Buster. A moment that must be seen to be believed. — Carl Bennett

The video transfer for this Kino edition, from an excellent 35mm print, is virtually identical to that originally released on laserdisc and videotape in 1991, and rereleased on both formats as part of the Art of Buster Keaton box sets from 1995. The organ music score performance by Gaylord Carter is identical to all editions and is well reproduced in Dolby Digital mono sound here.

Also included in this edition are two of the most reputedly incomplete Keaton films, Convict 13 (1920), a two-reel film identified for years as having only survived in one reel and Day Dreams (1922). New digital intertitles, made to look old, replace missing original intertitles. The majority of the first part of Convict 13 (the first reel was considered missing) is transferred from a rough 16mm print, and still obviously has portions of missing footage. Some of the footage (all in the second reel) originates from a very good quality 35mm print, beginning with Buster’s arrival at the gallows. Toward the end of the film another, darker 35mm print is used to complete the story. The film’s chase sequences somewhat anticipate Cops (1922). That’s Buster’s father Joe as the high-kicking prisoner who takes out three guards at three o’clock. Robert Israel plays the Fotoplayer for musical accompaniment and the sound is out of sync (late) until the second reel.

Day Dreams has survived in a series of incomplete prints. For this video edition a combination of at least three good to very good 35mm prints and a few still photographs, with new bridging intertitles, have been combined to produce as complete a semblance of the original film as possible. Note that behind the theater that Buster is thrown out of is a motion picture poster for a film starring Keaton’s sister-in-law Constance Talmadge. These David Shepard produced reconstructions date from 1995.

Based on the overall quality of this collection, we recommend that you to investigate these very funny Buster Keaton films on DVD.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca.
This Region 1 NTSC DVD is also available directly from Kino International.

We have not seen the DVD. This new edition produced by David Shepard may feature the same video transfers as those he provided for the Kino editions, but this disc features new musical accompaniment by The Alloy Orchestra.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca.

Other Buster Keaton films available on DVD home video:
The Railrodder (1965) with Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965)
The Twilight Zone, Volume 10 includes episode “Once Upon a Time” starring Buster Keaton