The General

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of silent comedy.
Review: What else can one say about "The General?" It is arguably the greatest comedy of the silent film era. The American Film Institute in its recent "100 Years, 100 Laughs" list of the 100 funniest movies, rates "The General" higher than any other silent movie, putting it ahead of Chaplin's great films. Kino's print of the film on this DVD is wonderful. "The Playhouse" is an enjoyable short film, and "Cops" is masterwork of physical comedy and provides some excellent shots of Los Angeles in the early twenties.

Those hoping to start a Buster Keaton DVD collection should start here, then move on to "Sherlock, Jr." and "Our Hospitality."

Rating:
Summary: The pinnacle of silent comedy!
Review: When the average person thinks of famous silent movie stars, Buster Keaton takes an undeserved backseat to Charlie Chaplin. Neither was better than the other, which is why they were both so popular.

Chaplin's movies had better stories with more original plot points, and they were able to get more emotions out of us. Chaplin could make us cry as well as laugh.

Keaton, however, had more comic invention. His movies were funnier, because he had better ideas of how to get an full laugh out of an audience.

Never is this more evident than in the DVD release of Keaton's greatest film, "The General". Watching the film for the first time, I noticed something unusual about the film. The entire film took place on a train. This is something that Chaplin would not do. He would have left the train 30 minutes into it. I think that the reason he would have left the train would be because he would have run out of ideas, whereas Keaton did not.

"The General" takes place during the Civil War, and Keaton plays a train engineer who is rejected from the Enlistment Office because of the necessity of his job. He is discouraged and his girlfriend will no longer talk to him.

Then, Union spies take his train and the girl, two things that are described in the film as "the loves in his life". He goes out to set things straight...and ends up helping the war effort in the process.

This film features the perfect example of the attraction to the silent comedy. We get the scrawny underdog, wanting to help but rejected every step of the way. Suddenly, he is thrown into a situation that under any other circumstances would be out of his league, and pulls through with flying colors. This is a dream fulfilled.

And all the while, Keaton handles the subject matter with humor that is original, inventive, tasteful, and laugh-out-loud funny. His deadpan reactions hold up better over time than Chaplin's overdone expressions.

The DVD also has some extra treats. Two shorts are included. One is "The Playhouse", which contains, if nothing else, an opening sequence that is a marvel of optical camerawork, as Keaton plays numerous characters at once, many of them interacting with each other (compare this to "The Parent Trap" and you'll see how revolutionary Keaton was).

The second is "Cops", and the film's ending is one long, fantasic chase scene. Even to this day, ideas are borrowed from this hilarious short.

If your experience with silent comedies consists only of watching characters called "The Tramp", and you want to be a Keaton fan, the DVD of "The General" is the perfect place to start.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic nonetheless
Review: Terribly overrated, but a classic of some sort nonetheless. One would expect a fairer amount of comedy and slapstick from a Buster Keaton movie, but this is really a melodrama of the mildly outdated kind. Only one sequence delivers the goods: Keaton trying to aim a big cannon on the train he's chasing.

Rating:
Summary: More art from Buster Keaton.
Review: We watch some films from the silent era as we would an exhibit in a museum; other films from the period are so entertaining that they suck us in, and we forget that we're watching a "historical document" that's 80 or so years old. Buster Keaton's *The General* is just such a film. It's generally recognized as his greatest movie (I slightly prefer *Sherlock Jr.*, myself). It's certainly his most meticulously planned movie, and the most obvious example of one of his full-length features attaining his complete conception. Aside from the brilliantly executed physical stunts and gags (most of which appear to be extremely dangerous to himself and his female lead), the movie is also astonishingly accurate, in terms of its period-setting of the Civil War. Watching this, one gets the feeling that Keaton simply poked around in old-timers' closets, found their old war uniforms, dusted them off, and brought them to the set. The weapons and even locomotives (there are several here; Keaton's train-fetish was never so fully consummated) also look truly antiquated. More than one film expert has declared that *The General* is the most accurate-looking Civil War ever put on film. Even the oldness of the movie helps in this regard: many of the shots of marching soldiers, galloping cavalry, and weed-lined streets between the clapboard buildings of dusty Southern towns look like Mathew Brady's photographs that have literally come alive. But that's really no wonder, when one considers that we are farther away in time from *The General* than *The General* was from the actual War Between the States. Having said all that, I revert to my first comments: the accuracy is all well and good, but the story is so intensely suspenseful (not a scene wasted), and the physical comedy so delightful, that you'll hardly care less about the movie's accuracy . . . or its age. This is a must-own for comedy lovers. [The excellent DVD by Kino also includes a pair of shorter films. In one of them, we get a view of Los Angeles in 1922, which still had blacksmithing shops in Downtown. Both of the shorts are charming.]

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE SILENT MOVIES OF ALL TIME.
Review: "The General" is a silent movie, starred by the fantastic Buster Keaton, widely considered as one of the greatest, if not the best silent movie of all time.

The film is set during the U.S.A. Civil War. Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) is a Southern engineer of a train engine named "The General". When the war starts, Johnnie's love interest, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack) invites him to enlist in the Confederate Army, but he is rejected by the war office because he is too valuable as an engineer. When Annabelle knows this, she thinks that Johnnie is a yellow and immediately stops talking to him. Months later, the Northern decides to steal "The General", taking Annabelle in the process.

The next segments are two of the most impressing sequences ever filmed, Johnnie chases his own train engine to rescue his beloved Annabelle, and after he reaches her, they now must escape in "The General". The acrobatic chases in the rails are without a doubt the heart of the movie, and proof of the athletic ability of Buster Keaton. "The General" is the testimony of the greatness of one of the most legendary movie heroes, the fantastic Buster Keaton.

Rating:
Summary: "This fellow Keaton seems to be the whole show!"
Review: The first time I watched Buster Keaton's Civil War movie, THE GENERAL, I was a bit disappointed. I didn't hate the film, but it didn't exactly grab me as one of the "greatest films of all time" as the front of the DVD cover states. When gearing up to review this disc, I decided to pop the film back into the player to refresh my memory and to take a few notes. No notes were taken; I ended up glued to the screen, and didn't write down a single thing.

I'm not sure what was different that second time. Maybe I knew not to expect an out-and-out comedy. THE GENERAL isn't a series of constant knee-slappers; rather it's more of a comic action-adventure. And once I got myself into that frame of mind, I was able to enjoy the film for what it is: a great romance-comedy-action-adventure.

On top of the fun story and the zany sight gags, the film just looks great. The cinematography is superb. Just look at that scene of Buster Keaton obliviously chopping wood on the back of his train while passing by two separate groups of Civil War battalions. The soldiers are moving in one direction. The train is moving in the other. The camera slowly tracks along beside Buster's train, not quite matching the speed, allowing us to concentrate both on the foreground and on the march in the background. I can't imagine it was easy to get this shot, but Keaton's perfectionism was to the film's great benefit.

Speaking of the train (the title refers to one of two loves in the life of Keaton's character, his girlfriend, and the train he's an engineer on, "The General"), it's clear to see Buster Keaton's love for our locomotive friends. You'd never believe that the train chase sequences could possibly be as exciting as they are, but Keaton uses all of his skill as a director to ensure that they are. Put together, the two train chases make up a significant amount of screen time, but they're far and away the most entertaining part. Obstacles and traps are set. Ground is gained and then lost. Cars are diverted, but then reappear. I just can't get over how clever some of this stuff is. And I also can't get over how difficult it must have been to stage.

On the other hand, it is somewhat odd to see silent comic Buster Keaton clowning around while there's a massive Civil War battle reconstruction going on around him, complete with canon-fire, swords and pistol fights. Hundreds of extras are being mowed down while he messes about with a sword that will not stay attached to the handle. And it's downright surreal to see him grabbing a Confederate flag banner and racing towards the front lines waving it.

This disc also features two short features from Buster Keaton. In THE PLAYHOUSE, the action opens with a long dream sequence, where Keaton plays everyone in a vaudeville show, as well as the entire audience. I had thought that this sort of split screen was supposed to be revolutionary in Disney's THE PARENT TRAP (1961). But forty years before Hollywood expected us to be impressed by two Hayley Millses, this short feature gives us nine Buster Keatons on screen at once!

The other short feature is COPS, described as Keaton's finest short film. I wouldn't argue with that position (although I think I might put THE SCARECROW up there), as this is absolutely hilarious. Beginning with a few quick sight gags and misunderstandings, the film has Keaton eventually earning the wrath of every policeman in the city. The film continues on, getting increasingly outrageous as every attempt at escaping from one set of policemen ends up annoying a further group. It's very reminiscent of his feature length film, SEVEN CHANCES, only instead of enraged brides chasing Keaton through city streets, it's -- you guessed it -- cops. Packed with energy and wonderfully inventive, COPS could stand multiple viewings without boring an audience.

This disc might be the best place to begin appreciating Buster Keaton. He's certainly at the top of his game in all three movies. I would only suggest to newcomers not to expect THE GENERAL to be a laugh-a-minute slapstick fest. Certainly, it's an amusing film, but there's a lot more here to appreciate than just some simple physical comedy jokes. The attention to detail is surprising and welcome. Even today, it is still rare to see a "comedy" done in such a large cinematic scale, with such epic production values. Thanks to Keaton's care and attention, he created one of the best-looking films ever made in any genre.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of silent comedy.
Review: What else can one say about "The General?" It is arguably the greatest comedy of the silent film era. The American Film Institute in its recent "100 Years, 100 Laughs" list of the 100 funniest movies, rates "The General" higher than any other silent movie, putting it ahead of Chaplin's great films. Kino's print of the film on this DVD is wonderful. "The Playhouse" is an enjoyable short film, and "Cops" is masterwork of physical comedy and provides some excellent shots of Los Angeles in the early twenties.

Those hoping to start a Buster Keaton DVD collection should start here, then move on to "Sherlock, Jr." and "Our Hospitality."

Rating:
Summary: "This fellow Keaton seems to be the whole show!"
Review: The first time I watched Buster Keaton's Civil War movie, THE GENERAL, I was a bit disappointed. I didn't hate the film, but it didn't exactly grab me as one of the "greatest films of all time" as the front of the DVD cover states. When gearing up to review this disc, I decided to pop the film back into the player to refresh my memory and to take a few notes. No notes were taken; I ended up glued to the screen, and didn't write down a single thing.

I'm not sure what was different that second time. Maybe I knew not to expect an out-and-out comedy. THE GENERAL isn't a series of constant knee-slappers; rather it's more of a comic action-adventure. And once I got myself into that frame of mind, I was able to enjoy the film for what it is: a great romance-comedy-action-adventure.

On top of the fun story and the zany sight gags, the film just looks great. The cinematography is superb. Just look at that scene of Buster Keaton obliviously chopping wood on the back of his train while passing by two separate groups of Civil War battalions. The soldiers are moving in one direction. The train is moving in the other. The camera slowly tracks along beside Buster's train, not quite matching the speed, allowing us to concentrate both on the foreground and on the march in the background. I can't imagine it was easy to get this shot, but Keaton's perfectionism was to the film's great benefit.

Speaking of the train (the title refers to one of two loves in the life of Keaton's character, his girlfriend, and the train he's an engineer on, "The General"), it's clear to see Buster Keaton's love for our locomotive friends. You'd never believe that the train chase sequences could possibly be as exciting as they are, but Keaton uses all of his skill as a director to ensure that they are. Put together, the two train chases make up a significant amount of screen time, but they're far and away the most entertaining part. Obstacles and traps are set. Ground is gained and then lost. Cars are diverted, but then reappear. I just can't get over how clever some of this stuff is. And I also can't get over how difficult it must have been to stage.

On the other hand, it is somewhat odd to see silent comic Buster Keaton clowning around while there's a massive Civil War battle reconstruction going on around him, complete with canon-fire, swords and pistol fights. Hundreds of extras are being mowed down while he messes about with a sword that will not stay attached to the handle. And it's downright surreal to see him grabbing a Confederate flag banner and racing towards the front lines waving it.

This disc also features two short features from Buster Keaton. In THE PLAYHOUSE, the action opens with a long dream sequence, where Keaton plays everyone in a vaudeville show, as well as the entire audience. I had thought that this sort of split screen was supposed to be revolutionary in Disney's THE PARENT TRAP (1961). But forty years before Hollywood expected us to be impressed by two Hayley Millses, this short feature gives us nine Buster Keatons on screen at once!

The other short feature is COPS, described as Keaton's finest short film. I wouldn't argue with that position (although I think I might put THE SCARECROW up there), as this is absolutely hilarious. Beginning with a few quick sight gags and misunderstandings, the film has Keaton eventually earning the wrath of every policeman in the city. The film continues on, getting increasingly outrageous as every attempt at escaping from one set of policemen ends up annoying a further group. It's very reminiscent of his feature length film, SEVEN CHANCES, only instead of enraged brides chasing Keaton through city streets, it's -- you guessed it -- cops. Packed with energy and wonderfully inventive, COPS could stand multiple viewings without boring an audience.

This disc might be the best place to begin appreciating Buster Keaton. He's certainly at the top of his game in all three movies. I would only suggest to newcomers not to expect THE GENERAL to be a laugh-a-minute slapstick fest. Certainly, it's an amusing film, but there's a lot more here to appreciate than just some simple physical comedy jokes. The attention to detail is surprising and welcome. Even today, it is still rare to see a "comedy" done in such a large cinematic scale, with such epic production values. Thanks to Keaton's care and attention, he created one of the best-looking films ever made in any genre.

Rating:
Summary: One of the all time classic silent film comedies
Review: If anyone could have made a comedy about the American Civil War and pulled it off, it was BUSTER KEATON. This is one of the all time classic silent comedies. Buster plays a steadfast trainman whose loyalty is with his girl and the South, but fate manages to throw their plans assunder. Rejected from the service because he was too valuable to the Confederacy as an engineer. Branded a coward, Buster manages to become the hero in a roundabout way. Look for classic routines like Keaton frantically trying to find his shoes in a hopelessly tangled pile of footwear, trying to load a cannon with limited success and finally, being promoted to an officer and having brigades of soldiers salute him, all the while he trying to kiss his true love. Granted, Civil War purists will fault some of the technical points, such as uniforms and weapons, but for once, OVERLOOK IT and enjoy the film! Even if it was 100% authentic, it is still a treasure worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: The best silent film ever!
Review: Most silent films require some patience from modern audiences, but The General (in the version from King Video) is entertaining from beginning to end -- funny, exciting, and poignent. If you would like to try a silent film, this is the one to start with. If you find you do not like The General, then you probably can give up on silent film entirely, and move on to talkies, and the Marx Brothers. If you don't like the Marx Brothers, then there is no hope for you. Stick to Adam Sandler.