Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

            Filled with sight gags and humorous dialogue cards, the 1928 film Steamboat Bill, Jr. is still hailed by critics today. The story is simple enough: after years away at school, William Canfield, Jr. (Buster Keaton) returns home to take over captaining his father’s unpopular steamboat. He soon finds himself smitten with a pretty girl named Kitty (Marion Byron), who happens to be the daughter of a rival steamboat owner. Bill Jr. and Kitty begin courting (despite their fathers’ distaste for each other), but when a cyclone hits unexpectedly, Bill Jr. must rise above his clumsy reputation to save the people he loves.

            Steamboat Bill, Jr. is good for a one-time viewing by the student or film enthusiast looking to expand their knowledge of film history. Unfortunately, I can’t give it much more of an endorsement than that. Many scenes run too long, and the storyline could have been tightened to eliminate unnecessary plot points. For me, the humor wasn’t as “laugh-out-loud funny” as it was merely “cute.” I found my attention lagging about 20 minutes into the film. Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate Keaton and his contributions to cinema. I just don’t think that slapstick can sustain a 70-minute feature.

            The one element that did manage to fascinate me was the film’s suspenseful climax, in which a cyclone rips through the town, leaving everything it touches in shambles. The destruction of several large sets is all the more impressive when one considers how dangerous it must have been. Keaton especially put his life at risk during the infamous shot in which a building collapses around him, sparing him only through a precisely-placed window.

            While the cyclone sequence is memorable, the bulk of the film is easy to forget. It felt like I was obligated to watch as a film student, and not something that I would ever choose out of enjoyment. The most exciting part of the experience was finally understanding the references made in Walt Disney’s 1928 animated parody, Steamboat Willie. And honestly? I would recommend that film over this one several times over.