 Tagline: Love, Locomotives and Laughs -- "General" is the name of Keaton's cherished locomotive. Consistently ranked among the best films ever made, Keaton's "The General" (1926, 75 min., stereo) is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing. Rejected by the Confederate Army as unfit and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marian Mack), young Johnnie Gray (Keaton) sets out to single-handedly win the war with his cherished locomotive. What follows is, without exaggeration, probably the most cleverly choreographed comedy ever recorded on celluloid. Johnnie wages war against hijackers, an errant cannon and the unpredictable hand of fate while roaring along the iron rails -- exploiting the comedic potential of Keaton's favorite filmic prop: the train. Insisting on accuracy in every detail, Keaton created a remarkable authentic historical epic, replete with hundreds of costumed extras, full-scale sets and the breathtaking plunge of an actual locomotive from burning bridge into a river. "Every shot has the authenticity and the unassuming correct composition of a Mathew Brady Civil War photograph," wrote film historian David Robinson, "No one -- not even Griffith or Huston and certainly not Fleming (Gone With The Wind) -- caught the visual aspect of the Civil War as Keaton did." Storyline: Johnnie loves his train ("The General") and Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War begins he is turned down for service because he's more valuable as an engineer. Annabelle thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board. Johnnie must rescue both his loves. Written by Ed Stephan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Casey Broadwater on November 10, 2009 -- He's called The Great Stone Face, because his is worthy of a seaward-gazing spot on Easter Island— stoic, deadpan, a blank onto which we can project our own emotions. He played it straight, never hamming for the camera, never breaking character to sell a gag, always moving deliberately, with a knowing clumsiness that can only be described as graceful. And yet, in his own time, Buster Keaton pratfell into the shadow of Charlie Chaplin, that other silent comic mastermind. It's arguable who was the greatest—I'd hate to choose between Steamboat Bill Jr. and The Kid—but recent critical revision has seemingly sided with Keaton. No mere slapstick artist, Buster Keaton was a comedic genius with the agility of a ballerina and the timing of a metronome. As a director of his own films, he crafted sequences of kinetic insanity—performing his own frequently dangerous stunts—and ultimately influencing the physical comedy of everything from Looney Toons to Jackie Chan. Perhaps his greatest film—and the one that temporarily ended his career—is The General, a madcap train-bound chase that was a box-office bust upon it's 1927 release, but has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest comedies of the silent era. Or any era, for that matter. In 1862, a small group of Union soldiers snuck behind enemy lines and commandeered a locomotive, driving it northbound and tearing up track, throwing switches, and severing telegraph wires along the way. They were caught—and most of them hanged—but William Pittenger survived to write a memoir, The Great Locomotive Chase. Some 64 years after the incident, the book landed in the hands of Buster Keaton, who saw it as prime material for comedy. Only, there's really nothing funny about a group of soldiers getting caught and killed. So, Keaton flipped allegiances and decided to tell the story from the perspective of the southern engineer whose train was stolen. The actual train—which was called The General—was decommissioned but still in existence somewhere in Georgia, and Keaton initially secured it for use in the film. However, when the Confederate Veterans of the South caught wind that the film was going to be a comedy—gasp—their gad-dum consternations and complaints were enough to send Keaton packing to the Pacific Northwest, where he found a few nearly identical trains to use. Shooting then commenced on one of the most expensive films of the silent era. Keaton himself plays Johnnie Gray, an engineer with two loves: his engine and the willowy Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the war breaks out, Johnnie tries to enlist, but he's turned down because he's more valuable to the South as an engine driver. Of course, no one bothers to tell him this, and his dejection is comically painful when he starts comparing himself to the tall, fit, newly enlisted soldiers leaving the recruiting office. This gives way to true sadness when Annabelle calls him a coward and refuses to speak with him until he's dressed in uniform. A year later, Johnnie is piloting The General when it gets hijacked by Union soldiers disguised as civilians. Annabelle happens to be on the train and gets kidnapped. Johnnie gives chase—on foot, with a handcar, on a wooden penny-farthing bicycle, and finally in another steam locomotive, The Texas. Alone behind enemy lines, Johnnie abandons the train and accidentally infiltrates the Union headquarters, where he rescues Annabelle. The next morning, they retake The General, the northern soldiers pursue in The Texas, and the whole chase happens again in reverse. For the film's climax, Keaton sends The Texas across a burning bridge, which collapses into the river below right as the train is mid-way across. This was the single most expensive scene in silent movie history—reputedly costing $42,000, an astronomical sum at the time. The locamotive remained lodged in the river until it was dismantled for scrap during WWII. There's a scene in The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson's latter-day train classic, where the passenger train gets lost in the desert. "How can a train be lost?" says Jack. "It's on rails." While no locomotives get lost in The General—at least, not in that way—Buster Keaton deals in the same kind of absurdities. Great comedians of the day were known for their "gags," and Keaton seemingly dreamed them up and executed them effortlessly. You would think two trains chasing one another couldn't possibly be exciting or funny—they're both stuck on tracks— but Keaton finds a comedic beat for every situation, from a mishap with an enormous cannon to repeated dousings from the track-side water tank. One thing that's clear when watching the film is that there's no way it could be created today; the stunts are genuinely dangerous and I have trouble believing any insurer would carry the risk. Watch as Keaton darts in front of a moving train to remove a plank of wood from the tracks; the train catches up with him and he falls back onto the cowcatcher, where he tosses the piece of wood into another track-lodged log, sending both pieces catapulting out of the way. Any misstep would find Keaton being pulverized into ground comedian beneath the train. For all the danger and excitement, it's Keaton's droll and weary humanity that elevates The General from a zany silent comedy to a truly timeless classic. My favorite scene is when Johnnie and Annabelle have re-stolen The General and are trying to escape their Northern pursuers. Annabelle wants to make herself useful, so she starts loading wood into the engine's stove. One large chunk of wood has a hole in it, so Annabelle promptly throws it out of the cabin, picking up a small sliver to toss into the fire instead. Seeing this, Johnnie hands her an even smaller piece. When she throws that piece into the fire, he mock strangles her in exasperation before planting a tiny kiss on her cheek. It's a moment that exemplifies both Keaton's comic timing and the brilliantly understated tenderness that underscores the entire film. If you've never given silent films a chance, The General is an excellent place to start. It's funny, tender, and so genuinely thrilling that you'll never miss dialogue, sound effects, or any of the other cinematic accoutrements introduced with the advent of "talkies." Kino International has done a terrific job with this release—the film looks stunning—and for anyone interested in early comedy or the films of the 1920s, I have no reservations in giving The General my highest recommendations. Cast Notes: Buster Keaton (Johnny Gray), Marion Mack (Annabelle Lee), Glen Cavender (Union Capt. Anderson [chief spy]), Jim Farley (Gen. Thatcher [US Army]), Frederick Vroom (Confederate general), Charles Henry Smith (Mr. Lee [Annabelle's father] [as Charles Smith]), Frank Barnes (Annabelle's brother), Joe Keaton (Union general), Mike Donlin (Union general), Tom Nawn (Union general). IMDb Rating (04/06/14): 8.3/10 from 37,702 users Top 250: #128 IMDb Rating (01/10/14): 8.3/10 from 36,039 users Top 250: #126 IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 8.1/10 from 11,635 users Top 250: #144
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