The General Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The General
Year: 1926
Director: Clyde Bruckman
Country: US
Language: English 

When discussing silent era of cinematic history, cinephiles and film historians are split in regards to who the master of silent comedy truly is. Many say Charles Chaplin, a considerable amount say Buster Keaton and very few consider Harold Lloyd. Keaton's comedy came primarily from his stone-face, a lack of emotion which proved to be hilarious in certain situations. He also performed extremely dangerous stunts that could have killed him if even the slightest bit of timing was off. A short produced in 1917 called The Butcher Boy  marked Keaton's first appearance in a silent picture, from there he starred in various two-reel comedies and after 1922 went onto feature length film. The General is conceived as his greatest work and perhaps the funniest silent comedy.

Buster Keaton stars as Johnnie, a man who loves his train ("The General") and his girlfriend Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). 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.

For 1926 The General is an epic, one of the most expensive films produced during that time. It involves numerous extras, the destruction of an actual locomotive and a surprisingly accurate recreation of a Civil War battle. It is quite strange for the hero of this story to be on the side of the south during the American Civil War, but once you are able to get past this it's quite a fine picture. Keaton has an identifiable struggle; the desire to win a woman's love. We connect with him because he's a selfless underdog, a hardworking individual who lives and breathes honesty.

The General is of graceful perfection, a remarkable meshing of character, action and story. At this time in history I feel Keaton was the better storyteller compared to Chaplin. The man in the little mustache preferred to write a scene around a gag, whereas Keaton wrote each scene based off the situation he found his character in. Chaplin's films had more political meaning, but it wouldn't be until the 30's that he would overtly challenge the system. Keaton's fearlessness was remarkable; he was his own stuntman, in this flick there are numerous dangerous stunts he performed, many that could have killed him in an instant, but instead they helped him become a star.

In conclusion, if you are fond of cinema then The General is a picture that you must see immediately. Your sides will split from laughing and you'll learn a lot about how to make a great film. Even though it is 88yrs old, it has aged incredibly well. It is still a fresh and exciting roller-coaster of an experience. Praise it! 5/5