Thank God movies kept evolving. While I enjoyed parts of The General, I would be horrified to learn this was still the standard for movie greatness. While some silent era films may claim genius and timelessness, I don’t think The General is among them.
Writer/director/star Buster Keaton is an odd hero. Again, I’d call this a throwback to pre-evolution. I doubt seriously Buster Keaton could break into Hollywood today, but kudos to him for grabbing his moment and seizing it with both arms, both legs, and maybe a prop or two. The man does not have the ability to phone-in or half-ass a scene; so lets discuss the film that made his legend.
First of all, The General is a train. Despite the fact that this film is set at the beginning of the Civil War -and it’s insane to think this film pre-dates WWII- and there are several generals in the film, The General is a train, a train engineered by Johnny Gray (Keaton). Johnny loves two things: his train and his girl, although why he is loyal to either is kinda beyond me.
It is Georgia of 1861 and war has broken out. The local men rush to their recruiting offices.
Oh, and we’re with The South on this one. Classic film loves the South. Despite dicey politics, and shoddy understandings of history, Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, and The General, all considered among the greatest films ever made, were unapologetically pro-Confederate, not bothering ever to point out that fighting for slavery is monstrous (“State’s rights?” State’s right to do what, exactly?) Cold Mountain is about as close as we get to being pro-Confederate on major releases these days, and thank goodness, because when you side with White Supremacy, you get things like President Trump … like that could ever happen.
But I digress.
Spurred by his girl to sign up for the war, Johnnie comically leapfrogs to the head of the recruitment line only to be turned down; his skills as an engineer are more important for the war effort, which is 100% true. But they don’t tell him that, which leaves him feeling impotent, a feeling compounded when he is spurned by Annabelle (Marion Mack).
Luckily for Johnnie, Annabelle is kidnapped during a Yankee plot to steal The General. Only Johnnie Gray can save the day. The first great train heist/great train chase on
film commences. And good gravy is it ever slow. I don’t want to train shame, but you know, have you guys considered walking? There are multiple scenes in the film in which men are literally pacing the train on foot, often to remove hazards on the tracks. Trains can haul, but certainly cannot outrun horses at this moment in history, I am guessing.
I was hoping for slapstick and got a movie here. I don’t want to side with Johnnie Reb or care about whether or not he gets the girl; I want to be amused by train antics, like the moment where Buster Keaton couples the train by dragging the caboose with his leg. For me, there was too little of that and too much spy plot. Not that the spy stuff is bad, but this ain’t the The Bourne Confederacy, homeboy. Hence, yes, I did enjoy enough of the film to recommend it, however, The General strikes me much more as what people think a classic film ought to be rather than what a classic film actually is. And I am never going to love any film that enables racism, which is what all pro-Confederacy films do.
There was a young Reb, Johnnie Gray
Who signed up to kill Yankees one day
But his offer was denied
For the trade he had plied
Found less shooting and greater horseplay
Rated “Passed” (whatever the Hell that means), 78 Minutes
Director: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Writer: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg
Genre: Films your great grandfather walked out on
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: The estate of Buster Keaton
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: If you don’t dig b&w, this won’t help
