The General is a 1926 American silent film directed by Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton. The film was inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the American Civil War. It was adapted from the 1889 memoir "The Great Locomotive Chase" by William Pittenger.
The film stars Buster Keaton, who co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman. The plot follows an engineer named Johnnie Gray who tries to rescue his train, "The General," from Union spies who have stolen it and kidnapped his girlfriend.
The film has been reevaluated and is now often ranked among the greatest American ever made. In 1989, it was selected by the Library of Congress to be included in the first class of films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
This one features some of the most impressive stunts and physical comedy of Buster Keaton's career. The General is an epic silent comedy, one of the most expensive films of its time, including an accurate historical recreation of a Civil War episode, hundreds of extras, dangerous stunt sequences, and an actual locomotive falling from a burning bridge into a gorge far below.
The film is also notable for its authenticity in costumes and props, which evoke Matthew Brady's Civil War photography. The General is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive and on YouTube. It is also listed on the TCM Movie Database and AllMovie.
Plot
The plot follows a train engineer named Johnnie Gray who tries to rescue his train, "The General," from Union spies who have stolen it and kidnapped his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee. Johnnie is turned down for service in the Confederate army because he is more valuable as an engineer, but Annabelle thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board, and Johnnie must rescue both his loves.
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Cast
- Buster Keaton as Johnnie Gray
- Marion Mack as Annabelle Lee
- Glen Cavender as Captain Anderson
- Jim Farley as General Thatcher
- Frederick Vroom as A Southern General
- Charles Henry Smith as Annabelle's Father
- Frank Barnes as Union General
- Joe Keaton as Union General
- Mike Donlin as Union General
- Tom Nawn as Union General
- Tom Lewis as Union General
- Jimmie Bryant as Union General
- Budd Fine as Union General
- Hilliard Karr as Union General
- Eddie Foster as Union General
- Jack Low as Union General
- Frank Hagney as Union General
- Joe Roberts as Union General
- Henry Baird as Union General
- Buster Keaton Jr. as Union General's son
The film also features hundreds of extras, many of whom were members of the Oregon National Guard.
Director: Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
Writers: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Al Boasberg, and Charles Smith
Box office gross: not available
Distributor: United Artists
Genre: Silent comedy, action, adventure, romance, war
Release date: February 5, 1927 (United States)
