General

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Buster Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a Southern railroad engineer who loves his train engine, The General, almost as much as he loves Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the opening shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, Johnny tries to enlist -- and he is deemed too useful as an engineer to be a soldier. All Johnny knows is that he's been rejected, and Annabelle, thinking him a coward, turns her back on him. When Northern spies steal the General (and, unwittingly, Annabelle), the story switches from drama and romance to adventure mixed with Keaton's trademark deadpan humor as he uses every means possible to catch up to the General, thwart the Yankees, and rescue his darling Annabelle -- for starters. As always, Keaton performs his own stunts, combining his prodigious dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and expressive body language to convey more emotion than the stars of any of the talkies that were soon to dominate cinema. ~ Emru Townsend, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Tint
• Features:
  • Three musical scores to choose from: Music composed and conducted by Carl Davis, performed by the Thames Silents Orchestra (in 5.1 stereo surround or 2.0 stereo)
  • Music arranged and directed by Robert Israel
  • 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 Bengston, 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

AWARDS

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1988

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2003

• Toronto International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2004

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Buster Keaton - Johnnie Gray
       Marion Mack - Annabelle Lee
       Glen Cavender - Capt. Anderson
       Jim Farley - Gen, Thatcher
       Fred Vroom - Southern General

• Director:

  Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton

• Producer:

  Joseph M. Schenck

• Book Author:

  William Pittinger

• Screenwriter:

  Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Charles Smith

• Cinematographer:

  Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings

• Composer (Music Score):

  Lee Erwin

• Musical Arrangement:

  Robert Israel

• Editor:

  Buster Keaton, J. Sherman Kell

REVIEW:

• Buster Keaton perfectly balanced romance, action and comedy in his most admired film and personal favorite, a Civil War story about an engineer and his eponymous locomotive. Based on a true incident involving a hijacked Confederate train, Keaton strove to make the film as authentic as possible, shooting on location in Oregon to get the proper track gauge and sinking an actual locomotive engine at the film's climax (in reportedly the most expensive single take for a silent film). The lighting and composition recall Matthew Brady's Civil War photographs, while tracking shots following Keaton's locomotive adventures further displayed his technical expertise. The train became Keaton's supreme comic prop in the two intricately devised, and narratively mirrored, chase sequences involving his efforts to elude Union pursuers; the humorous business accompanying Keaton's retrieval of the General, and girlfriend, sent up romantic fantasies and war heroics. The effort seemed to be for naught when The General received negative reviews in 1927 and failed to make a profit. The General's reputation, along with Keaton's, however, was resuscitated in the 1950s; The General became Keaton's masterpiece, joining Charles Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925) as one of the greatest silent comedies ever made. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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