The General (The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) (1926)
by Buster Keaton;Clyde Bruckman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Buster Keaton, Marion MackDirector: Buster Keaton;Clyde Bruckman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Silent
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 78 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL
Movie Reviews of The General (The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) (1926)
Movie Review: Buster Proves Himself, Again!
Summary: 3 Stars
I liked this a lot more on the second viewing, the first on DVD. It wasn't that the print was so much better (which it is) as I just appreciated Buster Keaton's humor and physical prowess more today than I did back when I first saw this film.
Keaton plays "Johnny Gray," a railroad engineer who signs up for the Confederate army when the Civil War breaks out. However, they reject because the South felt he could be far more valuable to their cause if he remained in his occupation than as a soldier. However, because his girlfriend wants him to sign up, and her brothers all did, she thinks he's a coward because he's not fighting for his kinfolk (obviously not knowing why they turned him down). So, things look bleak for our hero. (Note: true love never seems to be shown in these Keaton films. Buster always has to prove himself to these fickle women, who demand either heroes or tons of money from their men.)
****possible spoilers**** Anyway, Buster is chased down the tracks by the Northern army train for much of the film. He tries to hold them off and keep his own little train running....and rescue his girlfriend who was accidentally abducted by the enemy and is being held hostage in one of the cars. It's not as chaotic as I am making it sound, but it's fast-moving and entertaining film for most of the 75 minutes.
Summary of The General (The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) (1926)
NEWLY MASTERED IN HD FROM A 35MM ARCHIVE PRINT STRUCK FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVETHE NUMBER 18 GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME (AFI 100 YEARS... 100 MOVIES)
Consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, Buster Keaton s THE GENERAL is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing. This Kino Ultimate 2 Disc Edition was mastered in HD from a 35mm archive print struck from the original camera negative. Rejected by the Confederate army as unfit, and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), young Johnny Gray (Keaton) is given a chance to redeem himself when Yankee spies steal his cherished locomotive. Johnny wages a one-man war against hijackers, an errant cannon and the unpredictable hand of fate while roaring along the iron rails. Every shot has the authenticity and the unassuming correct composition of a Mathew Brady Civil War photograph, wrote film historian David Robinson, No one not even Griffith or Huston and certainly not Fleming (Gone With the Wind) caught the visual aspect of the Civil War as Keaton did.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Three musical scores to choose from:
(1) Music composed and conducted by Carl Davis, performed by The Thames Silents Orchestra (in 5.1 Stereo Surround or 2.0 Stereo)
(2) Music arranged and directed by Robert Israel
(3) Theatre organ score by Lee Erwin
- A video tour of the authentic General, presented in association with The Southern Museum
- A tour of the filming locations, presented by John Bengtson, author of Silent Echoes
- Behind-the-scenes home movie footage
- Filmed introduction by Gloria Swanson
- Filmed introduction by Orson Welles
- The Buster Express, a brisk montage of train gags from throughout Keaton s career
Buster Keaton's career reached its creative apex with this rousing comic adventure. Not merely one of the finest silent films, this remains one of the great film comedies of all time. The Great Stone Face stars as Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray, a man with only two loves: the sweet Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack) and his trustworthy engine, the eponymous General. When Fort Sumner is fired upon he's one of the first to enlist, but when the war office rejects him (he's too valuable as a trained engineer) his sweetie rejects him as a coward. Johnny has the opportunity to prove his bravery when Yankee spies steal his engine and inadvertently kidnap Annabelle, and Johnny pursues with all the resources at his disposal: handcar, bicycle, and finally railroad engine. Keaton's love/hate relationship with technology and machinery shines as he becomes one with his beloved locomotive and wrestles with a finicky cannon that threatens to blow his engine off the tracks; with tremendous dexterity, he nails the humor with inimitably deadpan takes. Spunky Marion Mack makes a perfect partner for Keaton, not merely a foil but a gifted comedienne in her own right. Other Keaton films contain more laughs and inspired comic stunts, but none combines romance, adventure, and comedy into a solid story as seamlessly as this silent masterpiece. --Sean Axmaker
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