The General (1927)
Buster Keaton's work holds up better than that of any of his contemporaries. Perhaps it is because his style of under-reacting plays better on the cool medium of television. Maybe it is easier for us to empathize with an honest, long-suffering working man than with a tramp. I don't know. I do know that Keaton was great and The General is a great movie. Based loosely upon actual events, it tells the story of Johnny Gray, a locomotive engineer desperately in love with the beautiful Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War breaks out she tells him that she can only love him if he enlists in the Confederate army. He is rejected, but no one bothers to tell him that it is because he is more valuable to the South in his engine than in a uniform. Poor Buster.
Later on Annabelle Lee must take Buster's train north to the front to visit her wounded father. By a remarkable coincidence agents of the Union army are at that moment plotting to steal that very train and drive it north. Buster gives chase, and the movie takes off.
It's a chase movie! It's a war movie! It's an action movie! It's a love story! It's a comedy!
Wait a minute. A chase movie? On train tracks? Kind of dull, no? Ha, you reckon without the Keaton genius. There are twists, turns, and stunts that you won't believe. Buster did all of his own stunts. If you've never seen his stuff before prepare to be amazed. I've seen his stuff before and I’m still amazed .
All of the stunts and gags fit into the film organically. Often in action-comedies the plot has to take an illogical turn or a character has to do something stupid in order for the gag to happen. You never get that feeling here.
I could go on. I could write about how the subtleties of Buster's character driven comedy play against the broadness of his slapstick. I could talk about how funny and action-packed the whole thing is. I could even go on about Buster pulling off the biggest, most spectacular, and expensive stunt in the silent movie age. I'll spare you. Here's the deal -- this is one of the greatest movies ever made.
Later on Annabelle Lee must take Buster's train north to the front to visit her wounded father. By a remarkable coincidence agents of the Union army are at that moment plotting to steal that very train and drive it north. Buster gives chase, and the movie takes off.
It's a chase movie! It's a war movie! It's an action movie! It's a love story! It's a comedy!
Wait a minute. A chase movie? On train tracks? Kind of dull, no? Ha, you reckon without the Keaton genius. There are twists, turns, and stunts that you won't believe. Buster did all of his own stunts. If you've never seen his stuff before prepare to be amazed. I've seen his stuff before and I’m still amazed .
All of the stunts and gags fit into the film organically. Often in action-comedies the plot has to take an illogical turn or a character has to do something stupid in order for the gag to happen. You never get that feeling here.
I could go on. I could write about how the subtleties of Buster's character driven comedy play against the broadness of his slapstick. I could talk about how funny and action-packed the whole thing is. I could even go on about Buster pulling off the biggest, most spectacular, and expensive stunt in the silent movie age. I'll spare you. Here's the deal -- this is one of the greatest movies ever made.
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