|
|
List Price: $24.95Amazon.com's Price: $22.49 You Save: $2.46 (10%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
Buy Now!
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305609957
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Silent, NTSC
ISBN: 6305609950
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Release Date: October 26, 1999
Running Time: 111 minutes
Sales Rank: 82377
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: May 20, 1928
Editorial Review:
Description:
Flavored with Americana and loaded with cinematic inventiveness, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' (1928, 69 min.) was Buster Keaton's final independent production, a comic masterpiece. Set on the Mississippi River, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' follows the adventures of a spoiled young man who is forced by his crusty father (Ernest Torrence) to learn riverboating. Highlighted by remarkable special effects, the film includes the legendary stunt in which the front of a building collapses over Junior, who passes unharmed through an open window. Added to this DVD are two Keaton shorts. Surprisingly dark yet wickedly funny, 'Convict 13' (1920, 20 min.) combines gallows humor with rapid-fire slapstick. In 'Daydreams' (1922, 22 min.), Buster tries to establish himself in a profession--from veterinary assistant to street-sweeper to actor--and, in one of his most cleverly staged chases, is pursued by a herd of New York City 'bulls.' Digitally mastered from archival prints, with original musical scores.
Amazon.com essential video:
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Steamboat Bill Jr.
Co-directed by Keaton, this delightful comic romp follows a hapless steamboat operator who just can't seem to please his steely, rough-edged pop. As always, Keaton's antics and sight gags are a hoot, such as when he tries, feebly, to bust his dad out of jail for socking McGuire, the ferryboat proprietor who's edging into his business. His expressive facial gestures here rival Chaplin's for sheer sad-clown poignancy. The film's set piece, which involves a raging tornado and an uprooted tree, culminates ... Read More
Rating:  - Truly Funny Silent Comedy
Steamboat Bill (Ernest Torrence) is in competition with another local riverboat man (Tom McGuire). Aside from his problems at home, his son (Buster Keaton) is coming home from college. Bill Jr. is a bit of a klutz and besides causing trouble that way, he's in love with the rival boatman's daughter (Marion Byron). Because of his son, Bill lands in jail in the midst of a wild storm.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. features some of the most well known stunts of Keaton's career including the scene where the ... Read More
Rating: - Two rare restorations and a Keaton classic
These three samples of Buster Keaton' work span most of his silent solo career (1921-28) and show the infinite diversity of mood and theme he was able to create. The short films are particularly interesting in being rarely seen and only recently preserved and reconstructed; one of them, Daydreams, is still fragmented but with enough of the film rescued to be worthwhile. Both of the shorts show significant signs of decomposition and many scenes have very poor quality. Of course, none of that ... Read More
Rating: - Sight gags to structural collapse
This was a surprising and remarkably paced film of Keaton's. What starts out as pretty quaint and rural extends to higher and higher proportions as the comedy switches from the difficulties of two lovers trying to get together despite a family feud to Keaton running around town during a tornado. All of it is filled with those Keaton conceits one comes to love, but it's the most physical of his full-length features, where even in quiet parts he will do pratfalls of stunning dexterity that can leave you no ... Read More
Rating: - Steamboats and Slapstick
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR (1928) was Buster Keaton's final independent film -- the last feature he would make before financial issues forced him to sign what would be a disastrous contract with MGM. Therefore, it seems fitting that this film contains a quick throwaway laugh where, upon being handed a familiar looking porkpie hat (a mainstay throughout his career), he throws the headwear away in horror. This movie has a lot going for it. While it takes a little time to get started, it finishes strong with a finale ... Read More
|
|
