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The General

Play trailer 1:43 Poster for The General 1927 1h 23m Comedy Action Adventure Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
One of the most revered comedies of the silent era, this film finds hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. When Johnny's fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is accidentally taken away while on a train stolen by Northern forces, Gray pursues the soldiers, using various modes of transportation in comic action scenes that highlight Keaton's boundless wit and dexterity.
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The General

The General

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Critics Consensus

Brilliantly filmed and fueled with classic physical comedy, The General captures Buster Keaton at his timeless best.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting 05/27/2022
4.5/5
The Mad Max: Fury Road of its day. Go to Full Review
Kate Muir The Times (UK) 09/23/2014
5/5
In these times when all risk is assumed by CGI effects, Keaton's squealing funny, exquisitely timed, death-defying leaps are all the more breathtaking. Go to Full Review
Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) 01/23/2014
5/5
The film boasts the most sustained passages of virtuoso slapstick genius Keaton ever shot, and an unflagging momentum that lets it get away with being a reel longer than most of his best-known pictures. Go to Full Review
Tom Hutchinson Radio Times 07/22/2024
5/5
Keaton's genius lay not just in the nuts and bolts of invention, but in the creation of an endearing character. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 04/08/2023
... a masterpiece, one of the finest silent films ever made and one of the great film comedies of all time. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 05/13/2022
3.5/4
It’s hard to imagine Buster Keaton without trains. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Pedro S @Salazar26ty Dec 5 Funny most of the time especially at the beginning but got incredibly repetitive. See more Marta B Oct 3 This simplicity of the plot makes this movie stand the test of time. The comedic plots, though complicated in execution, offer a fun glimpse into how physical comedy can add to the overall plot. I would suggest this film to anyone interested in viewing more silent films. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 3 Funny war in 1 hour and 23 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Buster Keaton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Bradley S Feb 20 Only took me 52 years to see this film. Brilliant, particularly that it was produced almost a century ago. The awesome visual comedy aside, the movie stands alone as an action movie, the production of which would have been epic in its time. An absolute delight from start to finish. See more DanTheMan 2 Feb 12 A seamless blend of action and comedy, exploring a man's love for the humble locomotive, The General is currently the only film I've ever seen from Buster Keaton. Featuring gags that are as much artful exercises in stuntwork and timing as they are orchestrated attempts at humour; the fact that they work so well is both a testament to Keaton's brilliance as a filmmaker and performer, crafting a character who is stoical, determined and preternaturally straight-faced as chaos reigns around him. The wind whips through Buster's hair while smoky pine-covered hills rise and fall around him, it's a film that never tries to be beautiful, instead, its beauty is in its functionality. It doesn't flaunt its virtues and like Keaton's concise, deadpan and economical performance, it holds a great deal in reserve, it never forces a response from the audience, never manipulates and never overplays, even the famous shot of the bridge collapse is seriously downplayed, an impressive effect for sure and one that most filmmakers would hold on for a longer time. That's ballsy of Keaton and I can only respect him for it, like a train itself, The General rarely ever slows down, barreling from one hair-raising and frequently hilarious set-piece to the next at the speed of an express. See more Alexsander F Jan 10 Que filme lindo! Muito divertido, dos tempos románticos do cinema mundial, tempos esses que nunca vão voltar. See more Read all reviews
The General

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Movie Info

Synopsis One of the most revered comedies of the silent era, this film finds hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. When Johnny's fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is accidentally taken away while on a train stolen by Northern forces, Gray pursues the soldiers, using various modes of transportation in comic action scenes that highlight Keaton's boundless wit and dexterity.
Director
Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Producer
Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck
Screenwriter
Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Buster Keaton, William Pittenger, Charles Smith, Paul Smith
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., Radio Films S.A.E.S.A. [es], Cineteca S.A., Madacy Entertainment Group Inc. [us], Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero [es], Reel Media International [us], United Artists, Kino Video, Thames Video Collection, Republic Pictures, Aikman Video, LS Video
Production Co
United Artists, Buster Keaton Productions Inc. [us]
Genre
Comedy, Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 5, 1927, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 23m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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