Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Silent)

Buster Keaton plays a pampered college student who must prove he has what it takes to be a steamboat captain in this stunt-filled silent comedy masterpiece. Plus vintage shorts from throughout Keaton's career.
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Format:  DVD-R
item number:  6R7WQ
Made-on-Demand

DVD-R Details

  • Run Time: 2 hours, 39 minutes
  • Video: Black & White
  • Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
  • Released: September 25, 2018
  • Originally Released: 1928
  • Label: Alpha Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring , &
Directed by

Entertainment Reviews:

Fresh100%

TOMATOMETER
Total Count: 27

Upright92%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 5,388
Rating: 4.5/5 -- Steamboat Bill, Jr. packs in more stunts in 70 minutes than most action franchises have in total, and does so with panache. Full Review
Eye for Film
Sep 22, 2015
Rating: 4/4 -- It may not match Keaton's The General in most respects, but it surpasses it in the number of belly laughs generated. Full Review
Film Frenzy
Jun 8, 2019
Rating: 4/5 -- Buster Keaton's silent comedy Steamboat Bill, Jr. displays more inspired energy and inventiveness than pretty much everything else currently in cinemas combined. Full Review
Times (UK)
Sep 18, 2015
Keaton's most coherent feature-length comedies...can't stop playing with the immigrant nature of American identity: each of us is far from home, and the natives aren't friendly. Full Review
The New York Review of Books
Nov 5, 2018
Rating: 5/5 -- Keaton has lost none of his ability to entertain and astonish. Full Review
Little White Lies
Sep 17, 2015
Rating: 5/5 -- If your faith in humanity needs a little pick-me-up, there's no better place to start. Full Review
Time Out
Sep 17, 2015
Rating: 4/5 -- Buster Keaton's final independent film is one of his finest achievements, something of a greatest hits package in its refinement of old routines. Full Review
Total Film
Oct 31, 2016

Description by OLDIES.com:

Buster Keaton, "The Great Stone Face of Comedy", stars in this stunt-filled silent classic! William Canfield, better known as "Steamboat Bill", is owner of the riverboat Stonewall Jackson. His business is threatened by a new steamer called "The King", owned by slick conman John James King. Desperate for help, Bill calls his son Willie home from college – only to find that school has turned him into a spineless coward! To make matters worse, he's head over heels for King's daughter, Kitty. Father and son can only watch helplessly as King has the Stonewall Jackson condemned. When a hurricane hits town, Willie sees a way to save his father's steamer, win Kitty's heart, and prove himself a real man all in one fell swoop – provided he doesn't get blown away first!

Considered to be second only to The General (1926) as his greatest film, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is the last of a run of nine classic pictures that Buster Keaton independently made for producer Joseph M. Schenk and United Artists. (These include Sherlock Jr., The Navigator and College.) Afterwards, Keaton signed to MGM, ceding creative control to lesser and lesser returns. (Only one subsequent film, The Cameraman (1928) is considered to be up to the standards of his mid-20s heyday.) Steamboat Bill Jr. features what is surely one of Keaton's greatest (and most dangerous) stunts: The front of an entire house falls on him, but Buster is standing in the perfect spot so he passes through an open window instead of being crushed to death.

BONUS SHORTS:

ONE WEEK (1920): Buster buys a house for his wife as a wedding present. The only catch? He has to build it himself. This was Keaton's first film on his own after working with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle for years.

COPS (1922): Buster's girlfriend won't have anything to do with him until he makes something of himself. So he decides to get into the furniture business, not realizing all the furniture's stolen. Soon the entire Los Angeles Police Department is chasing after him.

THE BLACKSMITH (1922): Keaton plays an assistant blacksmith who accidentally puts his boss out of commission. Taking on the job all by himself only results in widespread destruction and customers screaming for his head.

THE BALLOONATIC (1922): Buster goes on a wild balloon ride that lands him out in the country, where he ruins a sunbathing debutante's plans for rest and relaxation. One of Keaton's last shorts before he got into features with Three Ages (1923), The Balloonatic spotlights the comedian's manic stunt work at its best.

This product is made-on-demand by the manufacturer using DVD-R recordable media. Almost all DVD players can play DVD-Rs (except for some older models made before 2000) - please consult your owner's manual for formats compatible with your player. These DVD-Rs may not play on all computers or DVD player/recorders. To address this, the manufacturer recommends viewing this product on a DVD player that does not have recording capability.
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Product Info

  • Sales Rank: 20,679
  • UPC: 089218812698
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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