The General (1927)
Directed by: Buster Keaton
Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
Length: 103 min.
Genre: Comedy
#18 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs
#18 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary)
Nominee for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills
A showcase of dangerous stunts, a total disaster at the box office.
Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) is an engineer for the railroad company, and when he goes to enlist with the Confederate Army, he is rejected since they think his job is too important. A misunderstanding with his girlfriend's father and brother leads them to think he doesn't try to enlist, and his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), doesn't want to see him again until he is in a uniform.
Time passes, Johnnie keeps running the trains, and one day Annabelle is on the same train that Johnnie is running. A group of Union spies steal Johnnie's train, The General, with Annabelle still on it. She was in the luggage area. Johnnie chases after the train.
This is where the movie gets going. What follows is a long, very long, chase sequence as Johnnie chases the stolen train with another train. The Union spies keep trying to put obstacles in the way, and Johnnie keeps finding ways to deal with them.
The Union finally reach their destination. Johnnie sneaks into the house, rescues Annabelle, who he didn't even know was kidnapped. Shortly after, another long train chase sequence occurs, until Johnnie finally reaches the Confederate base. A battle takes place on a shallow river, after which Johnnie is enlisted as a Lieutenant, and he gets the girl.
What really makes this movie stand out are the stunts. They are absolutely unbelievable. Keaton swings from car to car, onto the train and off of it, and the shear amount of destruction is far and above anything I've seen in a comedy in the silent area. The budget for the movie was around $750,000, a huge sum of money, especially for a comedy which were (and still are) typically low budget productions.
The most memorable scene, one which many have probably seen before, is that of a train crossing a bridge that was sabotaged. The bridge collapses and the train plummets down into the river. No models were used for that scene. It was a real bridge, it was a real train, and thanks to Buster Keaton not telling the people playing the Union soldiers what to expect, the look of shock on their faces were real as well.
The only thing really missing from this movie was the comedy. There were some funny moments, mostly the interactions of Buster Keaton and Annabelle Lee during the second chase sequence. However, overall, the movie just wasn't all that funny. It felt more like a showcase of stunt work than a comedy.
The critics of the day basically felt the same (although they were much more harsh on the film that I am). The movie was slammed for Keaton being more of an acrobat and tumbler than a comedian. The movie completely flopped that led MGM to start restricting what the comedian could do.
Over the years, it has essentially been revived as it's been named very high on many Top Movie lists, including AFI's and Roger Ebert's lists. The film is certainly worthy of watching for the complex and exhilerating stunts, but truth be told, I didn't really laugh all that much. It was entertaining, just not all that funny.
It has recently been regarded as Keaton's best film. I respectfully disagree.
Entertainment Rating: 7/10
Historical Rating: 9/10