Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Afternoon Adventures)

Show & Culture

Cinémathèque LIVE, with live piano accompaniment by Hughes Maréchal. USA 1928 | Charles Reisner, Buster Keaton | silent film with FR and EN intertitles | 78 min | digital | Cast: Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron | Recommended from 6 years old. Festival day in River Junction, a small town by the Mississippi. William "Steamboat Bill" Canfield, Sr. is happy to see his son, William Canfield, Jr., whom he hasn't seen since the boy was a baby. He expects to welcome a strong young man, just like himself. But to his surprise, his son is a weakling, frail and poorly dressed! And, to make matters worse, he is in love with the beautiful Marion Kitty King, daughter of his worst enemy… “Steamboat Bill, Jr. reveals how Keaton is not only a brilliant actor but also a great director.” (1001 Films, Ed. Omnibus) “Hilarious, of course, with both delicately observed jokes and energetically athletic stuntwork coursing through. But what really delights is the detailed depiction of small town life, plus Keaton’s comic awareness of his own persona.” (Time Out)