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The General
(1926),
Director: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, rated Passed
The tale of a
lad, a lass and a locomotive
  Starring:
Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Frederick
Vroom, Frank Barnes, Charles Henry Smith, Joe Keaton, Mike
Donlin, Tom Nawn
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Please don't lie - I
don't want you to speak to me again until you are in uniform." -
Annabelle Lee, to Johnnie Gray, regarding his enlistment
rejection
Why watch this?
Before Chaplin, there was Buster Keaton, and he was a comedic
genius.
Plot Summary:
At the start of the American Civil War, Johnnie Gray, a train
engineer aboard The General, is rejected from service.
This brings shame upon him and infuriates his girlfriend,
Annabelle Lee. A year later, when Union spies seize The
General, Annabelle is captured and held captive. Johnnie
rushes to free her, using any means available including a
handcar and bicycle. Eventually Johnnie boards a locomotive
called the Texas, but accidentally leaves the Rebel troop
car behind. This starts an epic adventure where a lone man must
stop the Union army, get back his favorite engine, and win back
Annabelle Lee.
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Dad's Preview:
This film initially flopped
at the box office, however time has been very kind. Keaton
himself was very proud of this work. I chase
movie is a work of comedic genius. The stunts and effects are
themselves choreographed motion picture art. It also semi-chronicles an actual
event in history, called the
Great Locomotive Chase. Today, many film historians and
societies rank this comedy classic as one of the greatest films
every made.
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Buster Keaton
Prod., Joseph M. Schenck Productions;
United Artists
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