CONSENSUS #25. The General (1925)

 

SYNOPSIS: Buster Keaton plays a Southern railroad engineer during the Civil War. His beloved locomotive called "The General" is stolen by Union commandoes and Keaton attempts to get it back in a series of comic adventures.  The movie was inspired by the Andrews Raid.

BACK-STORY: “The General” is Buster Keaton’s masterpiece, although it took a while for the critics and public to realize that. The movie was a commercial and critical bomb when it was released in 1926. Thankfully Keaton lived to see the revival of its reputation in the 1960s. Recently the American Film Institute ranked it the 18th greatest film and the 18th greatest comedy (don’t ask). This must have been heartening since he co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced it. He based it on "The Great Locomotive Chase" by William Pittenger. Keaton used 500 Ohio National Guardsmen for the battle scene and even had them switch uniforms to give the armies more size.

TRIVIA:  Wikipedia, IMDB, TCM 

1.  It was based on the memoir “The Great Locomotive Chase” by William Pittenger.  Pittenger was a Yankee, but Buster Keaton insisted on the main character being a Southerner because he thought there would be more sympathy for the South.  Keaton loved trains and had read the book when his partner suggested he make the movie.

2.  Producer Joseph Schenk gave Keaton a huge budget of $400,000, which Keaton proceeded to blow up to possibly $750,000.  The studio was none to happy when the movie turned into a box office and critical failure and Keaton lost a lot of power over his future films.

3.  Keaton wanted to film on location and wanted to use the actual “General” which was on display in Chattanooga.  The caretakers were at first open to the idea until they found out the movie was a comedy.  The film was actually shot in Oregon because some old railroad lines and trains were located there.  Keaton purchased two trains for the action scenes and one train for the crash.  Eighteen box cars were needed to transport the equipment, props, set pieces, etc. to the location.  The town of Marietta, Georgia was recreated.

4.  500 members of the Oregon National Guard were used for soldiers.  They would charge in Union uniforms, then change and charge the other way in Confederate uniforms.

5.  The wreck of the Texas cost $42,000 making it he most costly shot in silent movie history.  Thousands of locals came to watch and were horrified because the dummy portraying the engineer was so life-like.  The wreck stayed at the bottom of the river until brought up for scrap in WWII.

6.  The movie premiered in two small theaters in Tokyo.

7.  It is #18 in the 10^th Anniversary edition of AFI’s 100 greatest films.  It was not on the original list!  It is #18 on the 100 Laughs list.

8.  It is Keaton’s favorite film.

 

Belle and Blade  =  N/A

Brassey’s              =  4.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  N/A

Military History  =  #42

Channel 4             =  #65

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  yes

Rotten Tomatoes  =  no 

HISTORICAL ACCURACY: The movie is actually fairly accurate in depicting the famous Andrews Raid in the Civil War. James Andrews and a group of Yankee volunteers hijacked "The General" at Big Shanty in April, 1862. The plan was to damage the rail line and to facilitate the Union offensive against Chattanooga. William Allen Fuller gave chase after his engine on foot, then hand-cart, then on the locomotive "Yonah" and later the "William R. Smith". Meanwhile, Andrews’ men were doing the damage depicted in the movie. Broken tracks forced Fuller back on foot until he acquired the "Texas". Fuller had to drive the "Texas" backwards, but he did gain ground on the "General".

Andrews’ mission ended in failure because Fuller’s dogged pursuit did not leave him time to effectively destroy the rail line. There was some bad luck involved as well. For instance, the attempt to burn a key bridge failed because the wood was wet from a recent rain. A flaming boxcar left on the bridge was pushed off by Fuller. Just a few miles from Chattanooga, the "General" ran out of fuel. Andrews and his men abandoned it and fled on foot, but they all were captured and treated as spies. Andrews and seven of the men were executed. Eight later escaped and six were exchanged. The first Medal of Honor were awarded to the Andrews Raiders.

OPINION: We are told that “The General” is a masterpiece, but if you weren’t told this you might miss that fact. It strikes me as more of a curio than a masterpiece. Although it holds up much better than most silent movies, I feel modern war movie lovers will wonder what all the fuss is about. It helps to know the effort that Keaton put into it – the National Guardsmen, the train crash, etc. It is impressive to realize that Keaton did all his own stunts. The movie is also admirably authentic in its weapons, uniforms, and equipment. And you learn how a train works which is a nice touch.

The movie has a lack of subtitles which forces the watcher to concentrate. That is a plus to me, but a turnoff to others. The cinematography is fine. The acting is spotty. Keaton, of course, is brilliant with his stoical persona. However, the supporting cast is your typical overly emotive silent movie actors. Mack (Keaton's girlfriend Annabelle) is particularly weak. The second chase is tedious and recycles elements from the first chase.

The big question is whether the movie is funny. Well, it is certainly not funny enough to be ranked the 18th funniest movie of all time. Most of the slapstick is on the silly side. There is a lot of falling down. Some of the sight gags are amazing. This includes the iconic sight of Keaton sitting on the drive shaft between the wheels as the train moves. The movie made me smile in spots, but seldom laugh. One of the funnier aspects of the film is how roughly Johnnie treats Annabelle. At least I think that was supposed to be funny. Keaton deserves credit for seamlessly blending the comedy into the narrative. The gags are not just thrown in to add humor periodically.

In conclusion, “The General” is a must-see movie and war movie, but it does not hold up well compared to the great modern war movies.  It is very overrated.