The silent days of film saw the likes of so many fantastic writers, directors, and actors, but only a few have been as influential in comedy as Buster Keaton. The General is a perfect example of the culmination of his skills, as this quick but effective film showcases Keaton's absolute hilarity in every aspect of his filmmaking. There is no piece of this movie that is not carefully thought out and the physical gags create such a spectacle in which I can only imagine would have blown audiences away at the time of its release. Along with the incredible humor and a perfect slapstick performance from Keaton, this movie was also able to handle multiple subplots in such a divine way. Perhaps I have gotten spoiled when it comes to relying on dialogue for situational comedy, but the way that this film utilizes subtlety in its humor is unlike anything I have ever seen.
In the midst of the Civil War, Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) is a railroad engineer who attempts to enlist in order to impress Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), the daughter of an army captain. After being declined to fight, his treasured locomotive and Annabelle herself get stolen by Union forces. Using any means he can, Johnnie tracks down the soldiers who stole them and gets caught in a larger battle than he ever could have imagined. A story as potentially dramatic as this one could have made for a great war film of the time, but since Keaton and his directorial partner Clyde Bruckman were involved, they made it a great comedy instead. Especially since this film is based on a true story of the time, any other director might have taken the chance to make a stoic, silent drama, but I am so glad that Keaton and Bruckman were given control. While I have seen clips of silent films before, I have never actually sat down to view an entire feature. Thankfully, this was my first one as I enjoyed this film much more than I actually thought I would. The comedy in this film works so genuinely well with a perfect blend of physical and situational humor. Some may argue that this movie is just 78 minutes of Buster Keaton doing crazy stunts on a train and I honestly can not argue that. What makes it so entertaining and riveting to watch, though, is that it is all completely authentic. In a time when CGI and special effects were obviously not an option, Keaton relied entirely on physically shooting everything in real-time. The fact that this crew shot the stunts and used an actual, moving train for this entire film seems absolutely ludicrous, but that is what makes this movie so impressive. I honestly found myself speechless at some of the stunts and shots that they pulled off. Along with the perfect timing and coincidental humor of the other gags too, the humor in this movie is undeniably great.
Keaton and Bruckman's writing in this film is fantastic as well. Despite being a silent film, there were still uses of graphic cards to show some of the important lines that these characters were saying. What made this first silent experience so interesting to me, however, is that even though not every single line that characters spoke was shown on graphic cards, they were not really needed. The way that Keaton expresses emotions and inflections in his movement are all that the audience needs to understand exactly what is happening. I also adored how there were multiple subplots going on throughout this film at the same time without it losing its simple qualities. The characters were well-developed, the stories were all tied up in the end, and this simple plot has a very satisfying ending. Keaton and Bruckman told a whole and complete story without needing to rely on excess dialogue or hearty explanations. The simple utilization of cinematic silence and how these filmmakers worked around that makes every element of this movie so fantastic. My one issue that I have with this story is its cultural context. The main protagonists in this film are all part of the Confederate side of the Civil War, as it was Union soldiers who stole Gray's locomotive. It's a bit dicey to attempt to get the audience to root for these Confederate forces, especially knowing that only a few decades before this film was released, they had lost the war. I understand that this film is based on a true story and that back then there was not much, if any, awareness for cultural sensitivity, but it's important to analyze now. It's critical to understand that those kinds of details did not matter back then and that the spectacle of the story is what audiences were mostly there for. However, this movie is such an effective entry in the silent genre and is an undoubtedly entertaining story, no matter what era you view it in.
Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman's The General is a spectacular silent film that manages to stay entertaining for its entire duration. While that may just be my 21st-century self talking, I am surprised that I have enjoyed my first silent feature this much. Despite some issues with the context of the story which may seem not so suitable nowadays, Keaton portrayed so much excellent comedy in a dialogue-free setting, which is truly something to marvel over.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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