General, The (1926)  /  DVD-Video
Standard 1.33:1 B&W  /  Production Year: 1926  /  Region 1

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Select Product View: General Info Empire Reviews 2 Customer Comments Suggestions Used Product Box Cover Screen Shots Email a Friend Overall Rating: 4.13 out of 5, including 2 reviews Add your comments on this Title. Synopsis Also Includes: Cops andiThe Playhouse Consistently ranked among the best films ever made, Keaton's "The General" (1926, 75 min., stereo) is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing. Rejected by the Confederate Army as unfit and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marian Mack), young Johnnie Gray (Keaton) sets out to single-handedly win the war with his cherished locomotive. What follows is, without exaggeration, probably the most cleverly choreographed comedy ever recorded on celluloid. Johnnie wages war against hijackers, an errant cannon and the unpredictable hand of fate while roaring along the iron rails -- exploiting the comedic potential of Keaton's favorite filmic prop: the train. Insisting on accuracy in every detail, Keaton created a remarkable authentic historical epic, replete with hundreds of costumed extras, full-scale sets and the breathtaking plunge of an actual locomotive from burning bridge into a river. "Every shot has the authenticity and the unassuming correct composition of a Mathew Brady Civil War photograph," wrote film historian David Robinson, "No one -- not even Griffith or Huston and certainly not Fleming (Gone With The Wind) -- caught the visual aspect of the Civil War as Keaton did." In The Playhouse" (1921, 23 min., mono), a technical tour-de-force in which Keaton plays every member of a stage company, the entire audience and an undisciplined chimp to boot! "Cops" (1922, 18 min., mono) is the quintessential chase film, with Buster tumbling into a series of marvelous mishaps while fleeing hundreds of uniformed policemen. Cast & Crew Actors:  • Buster Keaton  • Virgina Fox  • Marian Mack Writers:  • Buster Keaton  • Clyde Bruckman  • Eddie Cline Directors:  • Buster Keaton  • Clyde Bruckman  • Eddie Cline Product Information Features: Chapter Selection Video: Standard 1.33:1 B&W Audio: (more info) ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo Studio: Image Ent. Production Year: 1926 Release Date: 10/26/1999 Length: 118 mins Rating: NR Chapters: 30 Packaging: Snap Case Number of Discs: 1 Disc: SS-SL Item Code: K131DVD UPC Code: 738329013127 Browsei Category: Movies Genre: National Film Registry, War, AFI Top 100, American Civil War, Classics, Comedy, Military Studios: Image Ent. Reviews Overall Rating: 4.13 out of 5, including 2 reviews Add your comments on this Title. Customer Review A true classic! Hilarious!! Buster Keaton is a rare breed. - 4.25 out of 5  (6/29/2001) Buster Keaton racks up the laughs in the silent comedy set during the Civil War. He also shows his versatility by sharing with us his wide range of emotions and feelings. A wonderfully fun storyline, well acted, well shot film. Keaton insists on doing his own stunts, most of which are dangerous, but he pulls them off with out a hint of effort. They say best films are films that can be followed and enjoyed with no sound. This is a perfect example of a good, quality film.   more >> Customer Review Should be in every film lover's collection - 4 out of 5  (4/11/2001) A solid disc from Image Entertainment. The transfer is good (Definitely the first time I could actually discern the texture of the clothes the actors are wearing). Sound is good too. Although there is some damage to the source material (including a few very annoying black spots early on), this is certainly the best The General has ever looked. The other two shorts are great. I had never seen The Playhouse and it's great. The double exposures where Keaton plays multiple parts look very, very good   more >>