Rating: 
Summary: Greatest Actor-Director of All Time
Review: A great collection with the two best films by Buster Keaton, the greatest actor-director of all time. While Chaplin has more heart, Keaton has more art. Keaton out Jackie-Chans Jackie Chan with his daring stunts and, in my opinion, matches D.W. Griffith for innovation and brilliance in the silent era. These two films are musts for any cinephile.
Rating: 
Summary: Truly Great Films - Truly Incompatible Music
Review: Both films are wonderfully acted and provide many laughs. Indeed these are two of the top silent film comedies of all time. Unfortunately, the new soundtrack recorded by the Alloy Orchestra is not only substandard compared to the music I've seen accompanying past versions of the films, but often, and I mean OFTEN downright distracting and inappropriate to the action. I'm selling my copy and looking for a copy of one or both films with more appropriate soundtracks.
Rating:
Summary: Keaton's Best
Review: Favorite movies, like books, plays, and music, are purely subjective. "The General" happens to be my favorite film comedy - I have seen no other to match it. I have heard the movie did not do well at the box office when first released, but, of course, neither did "Citizen Kane". Although fine, I am not as happy as others are concerning the Alloy Orchestra and their background score. I find it a little too dramatic at times when something more whimsical is in order. Years ago, the cable channel, Showtime, ran a version of "The General" with an orchestral score and occasional sound effects. I guess I just got spoiled for something similar. The film print is very good, but wouldn't it be nice to give this masterpiece the frame by frame restoration it obviously deserves? If Chaplin rates perfect prints, how about Buster Keaton?
Rating:
Summary: Keaton's Best
Review: Favorite movies, like books, plays, and music, are purely subjective. "The General" happens to be my favorite film comedy - I have seen no other to match it. I have heard the movie did not do well at the box office when first released, but, of course, neither did "Citizen Kane". Although fine, I am not as happy as others are concerning the Alloy Orchestra and their background score. I find it a little too dramatic at times when something more whimsical is in order. Years ago, the cable channel, Showtime, ran a version of "The General" with an orchestral score and occasional sound effects. I guess I just got spoiled for something similar. The film print is very good, but wouldn't it be nice to give this masterpiece the frame by frame restoration it obviously deserves? If Chaplin rates perfect prints, how about Buster Keaton?
Rating:
Summary: Keaton's Best
Review: Favorite movies, like books, plays, and music, are purely subjective. "The General" happens to be my favorite film comedy - I have seen no other to match it. I have heard the movie did not do well at the box office when first released, but, of course, neither did "Citizen Kane". Although fine, I am not as happy as others are concerning the Alloy Orchestra and their background score. I find it a little too dramatic at times when something more whimsical is in order. Years ago, the cable channel, Showtime, ran a version of "The General" with an orchestral score and occasional sound effects. I guess I just got spoiled for something similar. The film print is very good, but wouldn't it be nice to give this masterpiece the frame by frame restoration it obviously deserves? If Chaplin rates perfect prints, how about Buster Keaton?
Rating:
Summary: You don't even feel like watching a silent movie
Review: Great cinematography and action for one of the most impressive early comedies. Roger Ebert calls the Alloy Orchestra "the best in the world at accompanying silent film". The orchestra provides the perfect background for this film so that I didn't even miss the dialogue. After all, 90%+ of the movie is action.
Rating:
Summary: You don't even feel like watching a silent movie
Review: Great cinematography and action for one of the most impressive early comedies. Roger Ebert calls the Alloy Orchestra "the best in the world at accompanying silent film". The orchestra provides the perfect background for this film so that I didn't even miss the dialogue. After all, 90%+ of the movie is action.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Films, Great Quality DVD.
Review: I had seen The General twice before purchasing this DVD, and acquiring it was my main goal for this purchase. I had not seen Steamboat Bill, so this 2 in 1 DVD seemed like the best buy. Overall, I was not disappointed. The images are extremely sharp and clean for movies of this vintage. They almost look brand new, save for some inevitable, but minor artifacts of age. The General is tinted monochrome. Mostly sepia, with some blue tinted night scenes, a common effect in silent films. Steamboat Bill is straight black and white. Many people are not aware that The General is based on a true story about a locomotive stolen during the Civil War (see: http://ngeorgia.com/people/thegeneral.html), and that the real locomotive now resides in a museum in Kennesaw, GA. The Keaton film is one long exciting chase scene. The first time I saw it, I was actually a little disappointed. It really isn't a comedy, like most of Keaton's films. Rather it is an action movie with sight gags. Once I understood that, I really appreciated the genius of the film, and it is now one of my all-time favorites. It was filmed on location near Cottage Grove, Oregon. Steamboat Bill Jr. is pure fun. It ranks among the best of Keaton's works, I think. Its the story of the son of a steamboat captain, who falls in love with the daughter of a rival boat operator. The climactic storm scene boasts a number of special effects that rival, or even surpass, today's computer generated effects for believeability. There is also one really hokey, but funny effect involving a flying tree. My favorite scene in Steamboat Bill was in a hat shop, where there is an inside joke that will be understood only by those who have seen more of Keaton's work. I would give this DVD five stars instead of four, except that I have mixed feelings about the Alloy Orchestra soundtrack. Their percussive style was very effective in The General with its rapid-fire chase scenes and mechanical locomotive movements. On this film I give them an A. However, they were far less impressive on Steamboat Bill. Here, the music often felt intrusive and distracting, drawing attention away from the action to the orchestra itself. Moreover, a couple of times the style of the music failed to match the mood of the scene. On this movie I give the orchestra a C-. I would really like to see some DVD's with a "Mighty Wurlitzer" theater organ soundtrack to mimic the performance one might have experienced in most theaters of the 1920s. Orchestral accompaniment was quite rare in the silent era, except in the largest big city theaters.
Rating:
Summary: About the DVD
Review: I just picked up a copy of this and sampled the transfer/image quality and the new scores by the Alloy Orchestra. I am happy to say that both are excellent, and I personally prefer the Alloy Orchestra's scores over those found on the Kino discs. I am confident that fans of the films will not be dissapointed! Thanks to Image Entertainment for some excellent work!
Rating: 
Summary: The General (1927)
Review: One of the few silent films that still manages to stand up today three-quarters of a century after it was originally made. This is thanks to its rapid pace and to the comic genius of Buster Keaton, the master of physical comedy. The sight gags are numerous and quite clever; my favourite is when Buster accidentally aims the cannon at his own train and then through sheer fluke nearly hits his original target. His timing and deadpan expression manage to make even the sillier gags work. There is also a wonderful nostalgic feel to the film watching two old locomotives chase each other across the countryside.
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