Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) **

Please do not watch this film if you've ever been on a cruise ship attacked by Somali pirates--the sight of the Stonewall Jackson might trigger your PTSD.

Buster Keaton plays Willie Canfield, the son of Steamboat Bill, captain of the dilapidated Stonewall Jackson. Bill is facing hard times as his rival, J.J. King, is driving him out of business with his newer (and no doubt safer) steamboat. When Bill gets a telegram from his son, whom he hasn’t seen in years, he hopes that his returning son will be able to help him fight off King. What he gets is a refugee from a Parisian café—berets, pencil mustaches, and ukuleles were evidently the vogue at Harvard in the 1920s. Quickly taken to the local barbershop, Willie meets an old friend from Boston—Mr. King’s daughter. Surprised? If this sounds familiar to you think Our Hospitality, an earlier Keaton film.

The fathers may not like one another but the children do. This creates a problem, as neither father wants their child involved with the other. So in order to see one another they have to arrange a secret rendezvous. What ensues is standard Keaton, as he tries unsuccessfully to see his beloved on her father’s boat.

After buying his son a train ticket back to Boston, Bill gets into a fight with King over his boat being condemned. This lands Bill in jail and keeps Willie from going back to Boston. As a means of breaking his pop out of jail Willie bakes a loaf of bread big enough to both feed King Kong and hide several tools—which are discovered by the sheriff, who then attempts to lock Willie up too. A surprising punch to the gut later and Willie breaks the old man out. Too bad Willie’s an idiot and gets his clothes caught in the cell door. He’s promptly knocked on the head and sent to the hospital.

While Willie’s in hospital, a cyclone hits River Junction. This provides the most impressive sequences of the film. The high winds produced for these scenes most have been significant. Building facades are torn down and cars are moved by the wind. Of course the most famous scenes are where the buildings fall down on or around Keaton and he is narrowly saved by a door or window cutout. In other scenes there are pre-Matrix images of Keaton suspended in motion due to the force of the wind. In addition, he rides a flying tree from ground to river. In the end, he used the Stonewall Jackson to save his father, his girl, and her father from drowning—and for good measure he fishes out a minister to marry them.

This was Keaton’s last "great" film. It is not my favorite Keaton film, but the cyclone scenes are worthy of being admired. My main issue with the film is I think Keaton could have done a bit more in the first half of the picture. Nonetheless, this is an entertaining film to watch.

The General (1927) **

Ever wondered why people stopped riding trains? Look no further…

Buster Keaton directs and stars in this 1927 silent classic about train engineer Johnnie’s quest to save his beloved train engine (The General) from the damn Yankees!

After it is determined that Johnnie can’t enlist in the Confederate Army because his engineer skills are too important, his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee (no, not the Poe one), dumps him, thinking he’s a coward. Later the damn Yankees come up with a dastardly plan to sabotage the Confederate railroad and guess whose train they decide to use? Since films are all about coincidence, you may be surprised to hear that Annabelle is a passenger on the General the same day the damn Yankees put their plan into action. During a dinner break, the Yankees steal the engine and luggage car (with Annabelle in it, of course). Johnnie chases after them via a hand-operated car and then a bike. Since Johnnie isn’t more powerful than a locomotive he can’t keep up, but he does reach a Confederate camp that needs an engineer to transport soldiers. Unfortunately for the Confederacy Johnnie’s an idiot and forgets to attach the troop car—and the South wonders why it lost the war! In route to rescue the General he fights off self-inflicted cannon blasts, disconnected cars, and logs. When he reaches enemy territory (damn Yankees!), Johnnie ditches the train and takes refuge in a house during a storm. Coincidence pops up again, and a hiding Johnnie overhears the damn Yankees plan for the next day and that Annabelle is a prisoner. Donning a damn Yankee uniform (OMG!), Johnnie rescues his girl and smuggles her onto the General and rushes to warn the Confederates about the damn Yankees. With the damn Yankees in pursuit, Johnnie sets a bridge on fire and makes his way to Confederate headquarters. Next, in one of the more astonishing sequences in silent film history, we see a damn Yankee supply train plunge into a river and Johnnie take out a dam with misfired cannon that washes away countless damn Yankees. Mistakenly thinking Johnnie is brilliant, the Confederacy gives him a commission and Annabelle and he walk off into the sunset…or they would have if it hadn’t been for those damn Yankees! No doubt she ended up wearing curtains and he and his train were blown up by that bastard Sherman. Damn Yankees!

This is considered Keaton’s masterpiece. The film itself is based on a true story (with many artistic liberties taken by Keaton) and Keaton does a wonderful job staying true to the historical time period in which the film takes place. The gags are outrageously funny and Keaton is brilliant as ever in pulling off his physically-daring stunts. One of his longer films at 75 minutes, the story has good pacing and is wholly enjoyable.

If you like Chaplin or Harold Lloyd you will like this film. A true silent classic.

Seven Chances (1925) **

Whoever said 7 was a lucky number never met Jimmie Shannon—the hero of this film who must be married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday if he is to inherit $7 million. Doesn’t sound so unlucky to you, huh? What if I told you he learns this news on his 27th birthday with only a few hours to spare?

Buster Keaton stars in this 1925 silent classic race to the altar, where surprisingly women actually turn down marriage proposals that offer $7 million dowries. He offers this bonus bonanza to his true love first, but she’s miffed that he seems only ready to get married now that he must marry any girl to get his inheritance. Then he asks seven country club types and they all turn him down---perhaps if it had been Oct. 1929 they would have said yes. Anyway, an ad is taken out relating his predicament to the general female population and Jimmie goes to the church to wait for any takers. Asleep in the front pew, Jimmie soon awakes to a church filled with eager brides. What ensues is a madcap chase of angry would-be brides pursuing their ticket to fur coats and butlers named Ruggles. In the end, the sweetheart forgives and the couple is married at exactly 7 o’clock—all in a day’s work.

This is not Keaton’s best film, but it is funny and has a few good stunt scenes. Most notable of these scenes is the falling rock sequence where not only does Keaton have crazed women chasing him but deadly rocks as well. Less than an hour long, the film, with its comical elements and action sequences, is a good way to introduce a silent film virgin to the genre.

Sherlock, Jr. (1924) **

So, if I said Buster Keaton is the most gifted actor/stuntman ever would your response be, “No, s*#t, Sherlock?

This 1924 silent starring Keaton is one of his top five performances. Under an hour long, the film moves at an extremely fast pace. In the film, Keaton plays a projectionist and aspiring detective, who is framed for the theft of his would-be father-in-law’s watch by his romantic rival (Ward Crane.). Later, while attending to his job at the theatre, Keaton falls asleep and finds himself in a dream where he is the second greatest detective in the world: Sherlock, Jr. His dream alter ego must solve the case of the missing pearls before the dastardly villain kills him. In the end, Buster solves both cases and the lovers are reunited.

The stunts in this film are usual Keaton—amazing. His ride on the motorcycle handlebars is priceless. The dual storyline—real life and reel life—is a clever plot device as well. In this regard, Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo owes a nod to Keaton.

An entertaining, exciting, funny film. A must see for silent film fans, and of course, Keaton fans.

Our Hospitality (1923) **

Who needs Tyson vs. Holyfield? McKay vs. Canfield: Inbreeding at its best!

This 1923 Buster Keaton silent finds Keaton’s character smack-dab in the middle of a long-standing southern family feud. NY raised Willie McKay finds himself on a comically antiquated train headed down south with the girl of his dreams. Little do the lovebirds know that their families have a long-standing southern blood feud. Introduced to and recognized by the Canfield men as their sworn enemy, Willie soon becomes their object of prey. Unfortunately, southern hospitality dictates that they be polite to him while he’s in their home. And, this is where the hilarious cat-and-mouse game between Willie and the Canfields begins.

The comic timing of Keaton is genius. The stunts he performs with the train, bike, and log/waterfall sequences are inspired. One of the most famous scenes in silent movie history is Willie’s perilous rescue of his girlfriend just before she goes over a waterfall. It always amazes me how fearless Keaton must have been to perform such dangerous stunts. Today’s “action” stars can’t even blow their noses without a stunt double.

Funny and entertaining, this is an enjoyable movie.