The General
• TOP NOTCH (my top choices)
• HONORABLE MENTION (well worth watching)
• YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER (I like them but you might not)
• CLASSICS (Great movies up through the 1960s - many don't have any rating)
THE GENERAL (1927) - PG - CLASSIC
Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
Summary - When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single-handedly and straight through enemy lines.
Cautions -Hilarity
Commentary - Consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, Buster Keaton s The General is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing.
No mere slapstick artist, Buster Keaton was a comedic genius with the agility of a ballerina and the timing of a metronome. As a director of his own films, he crafted sequences of kinetic insanity—performing his own frequently dangerous stunts—and ultimately influencing the physical comedy of everything from Looney Toons to Jackie Chan. Perhaps his greatest film—and the one that temporarily ended his career—is The General, a madcap train-bound chase that was a box-office bust upon it's 1927 release, but has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest comedies of the silent era. Or any era, for that matter.
If you've never given silent films a chance, The General is an excellent place to start. It's funny, tender, and so genuinely thrilling that you'll never miss dialogue, sound effects, or any of the other cinematic accoutrements introduced with the advent of "talkies."
- Casey Broadwater
NOTE: There have been many inferior releases of this film that include a poor public domain transfer and pathetic music accompaniment. For the best viewing, I recommend finding the Kino Ultimate 2 Disc Edition on blu-ray which contains 3 musical score options.
If that is not possible choose the DVD version with music arranged by Robert Israel.
• HONORABLE MENTION (well worth watching)
• YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER (I like them but you might not)
• CLASSICS (Great movies up through the 1960s - many don't have any rating)
Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
Summary - When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single-handedly and straight through enemy lines.
Cautions -Hilarity
Commentary - Consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, Buster Keaton s The General is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing.
No mere slapstick artist, Buster Keaton was a comedic genius with the agility of a ballerina and the timing of a metronome. As a director of his own films, he crafted sequences of kinetic insanity—performing his own frequently dangerous stunts—and ultimately influencing the physical comedy of everything from Looney Toons to Jackie Chan. Perhaps his greatest film—and the one that temporarily ended his career—is The General, a madcap train-bound chase that was a box-office bust upon it's 1927 release, but has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest comedies of the silent era. Or any era, for that matter.
If you've never given silent films a chance, The General is an excellent place to start. It's funny, tender, and so genuinely thrilling that you'll never miss dialogue, sound effects, or any of the other cinematic accoutrements introduced with the advent of "talkies."
- Casey Broadwater
NOTE: There have been many inferior releases of this film that include a poor public domain transfer and pathetic music accompaniment. For the best viewing, I recommend finding the Kino Ultimate 2 Disc Edition on blu-ray which contains 3 musical score options.
If that is not possible choose the DVD version with music arranged by Robert Israel.
Comments
Post a Comment