Delving deeper and deeper into the pantheon of films by Buster Keaton is his golden age of total cinematic freedom, it becomes clearer and clearer that the films should not stand alone (although they can), for they encompass an excellent body of work. In STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. Keaton plays a young dandy from Boston. He's traveling, and sends his father a letter saying that he's coming by to visit, as he hasn't seen his hardworking, steamboat father since he was a baby. He says that he'll be recognizable by a white carnation on his coat, but when the train comes in carrying Keaton, his father watches a group of men walking off all with white carnations. The father believes his son, being the offspring of a sturdy worker, will be even bigger than him, but is supremely disappointed when he discovers Keaton prancing about the town in ridiculous, prat-like clothes. He tries to toughen him up, but that doesn't go over well as Keaton undermines the father's plan by falling in love with the daughter of his father's steamboat rival. Keaton sneaks out of the boat to visit her, pushes a lot of people into water, and gets into a bunch of different, equally hilarious shenanigans. The best of the jokes is near the end, when a tornado uproots the town in startlingly realistic and daring effects (especially for 1928). STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. just stands as another great film from Buster Keaton.
Steamboat Bill, Jr.: ★★★1/2
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