Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Buster Keaton is the effete son of a riverboat captain who falls in love with the daughter of a competing steamship captain. It's still a great film. It has the usual love story, but the film is also a father and son story, with Buster wanting recognition from his dad. The lack of sentimentality makes the film less dated than some of Chaplin's films, and Keaton's stoneface also makes the film strangely modern. There are lots of great scenes: The one where the wall falls on top of Keaton and he is saved by the window, of course, but also the buying the hat with his dad scene and the file in bread in the prison scene.

2 comments:

  1. I'm a big fan of Buster Keaton, so I was very excited to see your version of him! I may have to make tonight a double feature night with Our Hospitality and Sherlock Jr!

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