The General (1926)

 The General (1926)

Watching the classics, everyone has one of those films that they cannot identify with, and they ask, “How do people like the movie the way they do?” For me, Buster Keaton’s The General was that movie for me. It was not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but I was not truly enthralled. I have not seen many silent films in my life, but I am a fan of Chaplin. I scratch my head in disappointment given the praise that was sung. Still, there is much to admire. Keaton did all the stunts, even the more dangerous stunts, with such acrobatic grace. The first ten minutes are great. The scene where Keaton is turned away from the Confederacy because of his “train engineer” status and the subsequent walk to his love’s house is fantastic. But the rest of the film does not live up to that scene. Maybe another rewatch will be the cards?

I will give Keaton the praise of authenticity. His movie was based on a train chase that took place between the Union and Confederates. He did change some parts like making the Union the bad guys because he felt people wouldn’t believe the Confederates as the villains. Given Keaton’s resume, everyone was excited to get production rolling. For many reasons, the film did go over budget. It was already the most expensive silent film, but the bills kept adding up. Whether it was due to expensive chase scenes, or an injury to Keaton, the money kept flowing. Upon release, the film was a box office bomb. The film did get horrible reviews but, of course, contemporary reviews have been much kinder. Still, talkies were now the part of cinematic life. Keaton took an ill-advised contract with MGM which essentially ended the career as Keaton knew it. It is sad because the man was talented. I think Chaplin is a bit better, but Keaton is no slouch based on this one film. It is disappointing I thought most of the film fell flat.

Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) works as a train engineer for his locomotive, The General. When the Civil War begins, Johnnie is unable to enlist because of his occupation. His love of his life, Annabelle (Marion Mack), does not believe him and is ashamed. She tells him not to speak to her until he is wearing the uniform. The Union has a plan to steal the General. Once they do, Annabelle happens to be on board. Johnnie now makes it his duty to rescue his sweetheart.

Keaton himself is the best part of the movie. Maybe not his directing, but his actual performance. He does not create scenes around gags, but rather the opposite. Some are funny, some are not. He does try his best. I was surprised how much action the film had. He did all the stunts and did them with such grace. I do want to see his earlier body of work. Marion Mack is a decent love interest for Keaton, but nothing is memorable about her performance.

I really wanted to like The General. The story fell apart pretty quickly. Keaton is the only glue that holds the movie together, and that glue is barely holding. Like I said, everyone has a classic film they are less fond of than others. This, sadly, happens to be mine. This was the movie that derailed Keaton’s career and it really is a shame to see a cinematic giant fall out like that. This is not a complete failure, but only if it had more effective laughs/gags/.

My Grade: C