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"If you lose this war don't blame me."
The 1920s was the era for old black and white movie comedies. This era was ruled by three factions: Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton. The General is a very short (75-minute) but classic silent film from Keaton.
Back in the days when these films were released it was pivotal to include a bunch of fantastically hilarious sight gags to keep the audience entertained for the film's duration. Because silent movies are images being shown to simple piano music these sight gags were a necessity. Up until I finally watched this movie I would never have known how side-splitting the humour of 1920's slapstick truly is. As much as I love watching Charlie Chaplin's old movies, Keaton is also a guru when it comes to his art of being an acrobatic comedian.
The General was not a success when it was first released, but over the years the film now regularly appears on lists of the greatest movies ever made. The plot is really quite straightforward: Johnnie Gray (Keaton) is a Southern train engineer at the start of the Civil War. Johnnie is encouraged to enlist by his girl Annabelle (Mack) who believes it is an honourable and courageous thing to join the army.
But Johnnie is rejected when trying to enlist. Unbeknownst to him, it's because the enlisting office believes he will be more useful as an engineer as opposed to a soldier. Annabelle doesn't believe Johnnie's story, instead thinking that he's a coward who refuses to enlist. Unless Johnnie is wearing a uniform, Annabelle will not allow him to speak. Meanwhile a group of Union spies decide to steal a locomotive. Predictably, they choose the locomotive belonging to Johnnie. And in the process of stealing it they also unintentionally kidnap Annabelle. Now it's up to Johnnie to save both of his loves - his girl and his locomotive.
The General is beautifully constructed. For such an old production I would never have expected to see such scope and scale. Some of the battles (non-violent, of course) feature a whole heap of extras as well as some extensive sets. It's obvious that the film was made with a lot of love. The stunts were executed remarkably. There are countless occasions when I found myself laughing or cheering when Keaton performed a highly amusing acrobatic stunt. The stunt gags get better quality as the film moves along. The final train chase was both highly entertaining as well as being frequently hilarious.
And in those days what you see is what you get; some of the stunts were performed without any insurance on hand or many safety precautions. Everything looks real and this is what makes the film so special. We will never see shots like these filmed during present day without the aid of digital effects. A tragedy and a fact.
Surprisingly, The General is one of the most accurate portrayals of the Civil War. Every detail is meticulously designed; props, costumes, sets, etc. Top marks for precision, Mr. Keaton!!
The General is probably Buster Keaton's most famous production. The film is a total riot from start to finish. It's hilarious and it carries a high sense of excitement. The fantastic music was another asset that made the film a lot more exhilarating. The film is very deserving of all he accolades it received, and then some. One of the best silent movie comedies made to date!
9/10
