Genre: Comedy
Duration: 79 minuten (24 fps) / 106 minuten (18 fps)
Alternative title: De Generaal
Country:
United States
Directed by: Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack and Charles Henry Smith
IMDb score:
8,1 (106.621)
Releasedate: 25 December 1926
The General plot
"Buster drives "The General" to trainload of laughter."
Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) loves two things in his life: his train 'The General' and his Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the civil war starts, he is refused entry to the army, because he has more value as an engineer. Annabelle thinks her boyfriend is a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle aboard. Now it's up to Johnny to save both his lovers.
Actors and actresses
Johnny Gray
Annabelle Lee
Captain Anderson
General Thatcher
A Southern General
Annabelle's Father
Union General
Officer on Horseback (uncredited)
Annabelle's Brother
Union General
Reviews & comments
Leland Palmer
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- 23807 messages
- 4976 votes
My 1st Buster Keaton print. And "Sherlock Jr." will follow soon. Think this is fantastic. Watch the whole movie with a smile. Visually strong, lots of humor and incredible stunts. Truly amazing how Keaton accomplished this in the 20's. Respect for the end result. Didn't really find a bad point in this 'General'. Keaton plays very nice and the story comes along in a hurry. Have enjoyed.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Sergio Leone
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- 4501 messages
- 3183 votes
Excellent.
As someone who considers himself a movie buff, it was high time to check out Buster Keaton, an ionic name in the history of cinema. It's also the oldest movie I've ever seen. 1926, when my great-grandparents were barely teenagers, it's something.
But it has been an experience for me. The General is actually not dated at all. The warm brownish color still provides cosiness, but it is still the grandeur that impresses. Keaton's stunts are fantastic. Funny and spectacular at the same time. Moreover, the camera work is also appropriate: the scenes with the train are neatly and clearly captured. The stage level is so reasonably low and that is a huge plus for me. The acting and the slapstick are also quite natural and moderate. Just like the soundtrack, another thing that scared me.
And so this is a very successful introduction to Keaton.
4
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 12083 messages
- 7064 votes
First Keaton.
I don't know why a lot of 50's to 70's movies are bad for me, but 20's movies are actually good. I came across The General after recently signing up for Plex, which has a free offering of many movies, some of which are even classics. The General was one of them, and so we took it right away.
I was certainly not disappointed, this film is very impressive for its time and to see Buster Keaton there is certainly an experience. Despite having seen more than 3000 films, I didn't know much about this director and actor, but that stoic look will stay with me for a while. Distinctive appearance who has a remarkable talent for comedy, even if you would think otherwise.
The best parts of the movie are probably the stunts, because for the time these are very impressive. It's just unbelievable what Keaton can do with that train. I like it, small set-ups with a big way of unpacking. This way you are not stuck with some simple slapstick, but also with scenes that are actually strong.
Unfortunately, the story itself makes little progress and characters other than Keaton's could do little to draw me further to the screen. After Keaton gets off the train halfway through the film, the film also breaks down a bit, and only comes back during a spectacular war finale. Buster Keaton clearly had some cash in his pocket while making this movie.
Sometimes impressive film that loses some power as soon as the film does something other than showing its stunts. Despite its short playing time, I therefore also believe that the film is a bit on the long side, because the story does not justify too long a playing time in any way. Nice discovery, gives me the motivation to see some more of Keaton.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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