Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray] Review

Having been a fan of Buster Keaton for almost 40 years, anytime a truly beautiful print of one of his films becomes available is a time to rejoice. Here, we have two different prints of the same film, and both are worth watching. The story about a young man who comes to live with his father-who treats him with disdain because he is not a chip off the old block turns into quite a comedy epic, with some of the most spectacular stunts of Keaton's career (the scene where the wall of a house falls around him is still stunning, especially when you take into account the 2 inches of clearance around him-if it would have wobbled...).

Kino, as usual, has put together a package that rivals their previous one for THE GENERAL, with various music tracks for the film (although I wish they would have included Gaylord Carter's organ score which was on their previous DVD release and is his most majestic score) and extras, including behind-the-scenes photos and recordings of the song "Steamboat Bill" from the early days of recording.

Supposedly a Blu-Ray disc of OUR HOSPITALITY & SHERLOCK, JR. is in the works, and of course we have Kino's new restoration of METROPOLIS to look forward to at the end of the year or the beginning of next, so a tip of the captain's hat to the incredible people and the work they do at that company-keep it coming!

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray] Overview

The last of the independent features made in the prime of Buster Keaton s career, STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. is a large-scale follow-up to The General, substituting a Mississippi paddlewheel for the locomotive, and replacing the spectacle of the Civil War with a catastrophic hurricane. Keaton stars as William Canfield, Jr., a Boston collegian who returns to his deep-southern roots to reunite with his father, a crusty riverboat captain (Ernest Torrence) who is engaged in a bitter rivalry with a riverboat king coincidentally, the father of Willie s sweetheart (Marion Byron). Keaton s athleticism and gift for inventive visual humor are in top form, and the cyclone that devastates a town (and sends houses
literally crashing down around him) is perhaps the most ambitious, awe-inspiring and hilarious slapstick sequence ever created. In the silent era, it was common practice for filmmakers to create two
separate negatives of their films, each comprised of differing takes and camera angles. This definitive Blu-ray edition contains both versions of STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. the Buster Keaton Estate version and the Killiam Shows Archive version each mastered from archival 35mm materials. All new Special Features include: Complete alternate version of Steamboat Bill, Jr., comprised entirely of variant takes and camera angles, Music by The Biograph Players presented in DTS-HD, Master Audio 5.1, Organ score by Lee Erwin, Piano score by William Perry, Documentary on the making of the film, Stills Gallery, Why They Call Him Buster (a montage of pratfalls), and Two vintage recordings of the folk song Steamboat Bill .

Steamboat Bill, Jr. [Blu-ray] Specifications

Buster Keaton stars in the story of a college-educated young man who comes home to help his father work on his Mississippi River steamboat and immediately demonstrates just what a landlubber he is. What's worse, the woman he falls for is the daughter of his father's worst rival, a bullying rich guy who wants to drive Buster's boat out of business. Keaton's slapstick is inspired and precise, particularly during an amazing sequence in which he tries to walk across town during a tornado. Watch in amazement as the front of a building falls on Keaton and he walks away without a scratch. --Marshall Fine

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