The General (1927)

'The General', starring Buster Keaton who also co-wrote and co- directed the film, is a hilarious comedy, which is often more subtle and deadpan than you might expect from one of its age. This comedy classic, often considered Buster Keaton's greatest film, has aged exceptionally well, and I found myself laughing more than I often do during modern-day comedies. Keaton himself is brilliant at physical comedy, and deserves credit for his stunt-work on the film alone (he often performed stunts for other actors as well as his own). In addition to excelling as a comedy, the film also functions well as a wartime action film which is gripping throughout and rarely has a dull moment; both the camera-work and practical effects are stunning to this day.I saw the film with a live piano accompaniment, which made for a fantastic experience, and one which was much closer to what it would have been like watching the film at the time, as opposed to watching it with a synchronized soundtrack on a DVD.In summary, the general is a must-see for fans of comedy and action alike, with inspired gags and brilliant central performances.

Buster Keaton plays the lead in this silent era masterpiece that takes its inspiration from the Great Locomotive Chase, which in turn was a real event during the American Civil War in which a train was stolen by the North and sped over the lines in preparation for the coming offense.The General has some definitive upsides working in its favour. Buster Keaton is an amazingly versatile performer, able to go from clownish jokester to a saddened victim of war and poor circumstances in a heartbeat. The film is also really ambitious in scope. Keaton performs all of his stunts, most of them hair-raisingly dangerous and completely unimaginable nowadays. Plus, very little money is spared and the film famously has some of the most expensive set pieces and stunts of the silent era.The plot of the film is also a lot more cohesive than say in the films made by Charlie Chaplin in the same decade. Chaplin's films usually contain segments that have little to do with anything except the need for funny situations. The General is also a comedy, but with a clear, clean story arc.On the other hand, I didn't find the humour or the characters as captivating. They're okay, but in this regard the decades of cultural development between the film and yours truly work against the film. I just didn't find the slapstick all that funny.Still, The General is a great watch for all interested in early cinema or really involved physical humour.

This is the first silent film I've seen, so I'd like to write this review for people who are also new to the silent film genre.Also: this is my only review (so far) without a rating. The General is a film that made me question the relationship between the quality of a film and how much I enjoy it.On one hand, The General is a well made film. The direction is interesting and engaging, the stunts are impressive (what do you expect from Buster Keaton?) and the story was surprisingly well-written.But did I laugh? Yes. I didn't guffaw, but some points made me chuckle. However, that's just what I thought. If YOU love this film, then fair enough. If YOU hate it, I can also understand. I simply didn't like it because I couldn't really get involved and interested with what was happening. I know I said that the direction was "interesting and engaging" but that's purely on an analytical level.DO NOT WATCH THIS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, especially those who will take the psis out of it/you. When you are reminded that this is a film, you realise how cartoony it is and can't really buy into it. If you don't care about what other people think - and we're talking The Big Lebowski levels of care-free here - then give it a shot.I would recommend this to someone getting into silent films for the first time, especially if you don't care give a fcuk about anyone else and you're a real gangsta. Thanks for making me censor myself, IMDb.

"The General" is arguably Buster Keaton's greatest film. It is certainly a silent screen classic and was reportedly Keaton's personal favorite of all his films.In a nutshell, the story takes place during the American Civil War beginning in 1861. Johnny Gray (Keaton), an engineer for the Western & Atlantic Rail Road has two loves in his life: his engine named "General" and his lady love Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). The General is stolen by union spies led by Captain Anderson (Glen Cavender) with Annabelle aboard.Johnny gives chase by foot, hand car, bicycle and train. He rescues Annabelle, steals back "The General" and flees the union encampment after learning of their plans, in order to warn the south. A large battle ensues and..................................Being a Keaton movie, there are several memorable moments:the crashing of the engine into the river;the scene where Buster is sitting on the side of his engine when it starts up;two instances at the water tower where just about everyone gets soaked;the scene where the box car Buster has been towing and placed on a siding, rolls down the siding and appears in front of him;the sequence with that sawed off cannon;the picking up of extra firewood sequence;removing rail ties from the track in front of the moving engine;the scene where the engine is spinning its wheels and how Buster deals with it;the unseen passing of the retreating southern army and the advancing northern army while stoking the fire in the engine;the Rock River Bridge sequence; Buster's broken saber as he "directs" the battle; andthe blowing up of the dam.There are also many funny pratfalls and other comedic situations too numerous to mention.Also appearing are Jim Farley as General Thatcher, Frederick Vroon as the Southern General, Charles Smith as Annabelle's father, Frank Barnes as her brother and Joe Keaton (Buster's father) as a Northern General.It's interesting that Keaton chose to have Marion Mack play her part as a bumbling helper in their escape. Witness the scene where she and Buster are putting wood on the fire. As she throws in a couple of splinters he playfully "strangles" her and then gives her a kiss.It is also interesting to note the various running times attributed to the film. IMDb lists five different running times ranging from 67 to 80 minutes. The version restored and released in KINO's "The Art of Buster Keaton" box set and upon which this review is based,is 75 minutes."The General" remains a classic of the silent or any other era. Keaton was never better.