Brilliantly filmed and fueled with classic physical comedy, The General captures Buster Keaton at his timeless best. Read critic reviews
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The General videos
The General: Trailer 1
The General Photos
Movie Info
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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Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure, Drama, War
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Original Language: English
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Director: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
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Producer: Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck
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Writer: Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Buster Keaton, William Pittenger, Charles Smith, Paul Smith
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc., Radio Films S.A.E.S.A. [es], Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero [es], Reel Media International [us], United Artists, LS Video, Cineteca S.A., Aikman Video, Madacy Entertainment Group Inc. [us], Thames Video Collection, Kino Video, Republic Pictures
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Production Co: United Artists, Buster Keaton Productions Inc. [us]
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Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)
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Critic Reviews for The General
Audience Reviews for The General
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Very simply a genius execution, filled with variety, purpose, and most of all, humor, as the diminutive hero does his utmost to stand amongst the big boys as wartime calls. Unbelievable stuntwork, of course, that'll have you wondering aloud, but as well, a treatment of the heroine that only some eighty years ahead of its time. A train as the third major character, two armies battling it out, and a train crash that couldn't've been faked. Simply incredible stuff.
kevin w Super Reviewer -
There are some truly wonderful scenes in this film, which is full of adventure, comedy, and some pretty impressive stuntwork on moving trains by Buster Keaton and the other actors. The premise is that Keaton, a train conductor, has volunteered to fight for the South at the outset of the Civil War, but been turned down. When his train is stolen by Union soldiers, he immediately gives chase, on foot, then a handcar, briefly a bicycle, and then finally another train, not knowing quite yet that his girlfriend (Marion Mack) was inadvertently also kidnapped. In one of the memorable early scenes, Keaton is sitting on the connecting rod of the locomotive, lost in thought, when it starts up, bobbing him up and down. In another, he packs a cannon on his train with a massive charge, and as its angle slowly descends before firing, it appears he's going to blow himself up, until his train at the last minute hits a curve and he nearly hits his intended target. It's just wonderful. There is also of course the scene with a Union train going out onto a burning bridge which then collapses, one of the most iconic (and expensive) scenes of the era. In addition to those "big" moments, there are also innumerable little things Keaton does which highlight his genius. He is just so lovable and talented. He uses one of the large railroad ties intended to derail him to knock another off the track, as his train is moving. When he's hiding under a table surrounded by Union officers, he's subtly kicked and jostled in funny ways. As he makes his escape with Mack, he stuffs her into a large sack that he had emptied of shoes, only to lose his own shoe in the process and struggle to locate it. I also thought I saw bits of Woody Allen in the scene where he urges her to be quiet, only to knock things over and make noise himself. Ambitious, awe-inspiring, influential, clever, and still funny 90+ years later. Is it the best ever? I don't know, I liked 'The Cameraman' (1928) even more, but still - damn good.
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The General is Buster Keaton's most memorable work. It utilised some incredible stunts and good comical tricks, but I find it rather distasteful to make a comedy about the civil war.
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The only problem is that Keaton was in the wrong side of the war.
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