Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Silent) (MOD) (DVD Movie)

Buster Keaton, "The Great Stone Face of Comedy", stars in this stunt-filled silent classic! William Canfield, better known as "Steamboat Bill", is owner of the riverboat Stonewall Jackson. His business is threatened by a new steamer called "The King", owned by slick conman John James King. Desperate for help, Bill calls his son Willie home from college -- only to find that school has turned him into a spineless coward! To make matters worse, he's head over heels for King's daughter, Kitty. Father and son can only watch helplessly as King has the Stonewall Jackson condemned. When a hurricane hits town, Willie sees a way to save his father's steamer, win Kitty's heart, and prove himself a real man all in one fell swoop -- provided he doesn't get blown away first!

Considered to be second only to The General (1926) as his greatest film, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is the last of a run of nine classic pictures that Buster Keaton independently made for producer Joseph M. Schenk and United Artists. (These include Sherlock Jr., The Navigator and College.) Afterwards, Keaton signed to MGM, ceding creative control to lesser and lesser returns. (Only one subsequent film, The Cameraman (1928) is considered to be up to the standards of his mid-20s heyday.) Steamboat Bill Jr. features what is surely one of Keaton's greatest (and most dangerous) stunts: The front of an entire house falls on him, but Buster is standing in the perfect spot so he passes through an open window instead of being crushed to death.

BONUS SHORTS:

ONE WEEK (1920): Buster buys a house for his wife as a wedding present. The only catch? He has to build it himself. This was Keaton's first film on his own after working with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle for years.

COPS (1922): Buster's girlfriend won't have anything to do with him until he makes something of himself. So he decides to get into the furniture business, not realizing all the furniture's stolen. Soon the entire Los Angeles Police Department is chasing after him.

THE BLACKSMITH (1922): Keaton plays an assistant blacksmith who accidentally puts his boss out of commission. Taking on the job all by himself only results in widespread destruction and customers screaming for his head.

THE BALLOONATIC (1922): Buster goes on a wild balloon ride that lands him out in the country, where he ruins a sunbathing debutante's plans for rest and relaxation. One of Keaton's last shorts before he got into features with Three Ages (1923), The Balloonatic spotlights the comedian's manic stunt work at its best.