"Steamboat Bill, Jr." stars Buster Keaton as the effete son of a riverboat captain who visits his father after years apart. Bill Sr., embarrassed by his son's lack of manliness, immediately sets out to teach him the ways of a riverboat crewman. Meanwhile, Bill Jr. is more interested in the daughter of his father's chief competitor.
I found the story to be pretty interesting though the pacing left a little to be desired. The film's extended climax, however, is spectacular. I only wish that the rest of the film was as exciting and inventive.
Keaton's acting is solid throughout and the film features his single most famous stunt; one whereby an entire building facade falls on top of him with only an open window preventing him from being crushed. The supporting cast is satisfying as well, particularly Ernest Torrence as Bill Sr. and the foxy Marion Byron as Keaton's love interest.
Visually, the film's direction is well handled, especially in the climactic scenes which make use of special effects. The score that accompanied the film when I saw it was by the Alloy Orchestra, which I thought was pretty good but not outstanding.
In the end, I enjoyed this film more than Keaton's most acclaimed film, "The General". However, while the film's climax is a definite must-see the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to the same standard.
I found the story to be pretty interesting though the pacing left a little to be desired. The film's extended climax, however, is spectacular. I only wish that the rest of the film was as exciting and inventive.
Keaton's acting is solid throughout and the film features his single most famous stunt; one whereby an entire building facade falls on top of him with only an open window preventing him from being crushed. The supporting cast is satisfying as well, particularly Ernest Torrence as Bill Sr. and the foxy Marion Byron as Keaton's love interest.
Visually, the film's direction is well handled, especially in the climactic scenes which make use of special effects. The score that accompanied the film when I saw it was by the Alloy Orchestra, which I thought was pretty good but not outstanding.
In the end, I enjoyed this film more than Keaton's most acclaimed film, "The General". However, while the film's climax is a definite must-see the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to the same standard.