The General, one of Buster Keaton’s most popular silent comedies, co-directed by him and Clyde Bruckman, tells the story of Johnnie, a man who loves his train (“The General”) and Annabelle Lee.
Grade: A-
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Theatrical release poster
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It was inspired by the “Great Locomotive Chase,” a true story event that occurred during the American Civil War. The story was adapted from the 1889 memoir The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger.
When the Civil War begins, he is turned down for service because he’s more valuable as an engineer, but Annabelle thinks it’s because he’s a coward.
When Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board, Johnnie has an opportunity to show his bravery by rescuing his two loves.
At initial release, the movie was not well received by critics and audiences, resulting in mediocre box office returns (half a million dollars domestically, and approximately one million worldwide).
Its huge budget ($750,000 supplied by Metro chief Joseph Schenck) and failure to turn profit, led to Keaton’s loss of his independence as a filmmaker, forced into restrictive deal with MGM.
Critical Status
In 1954, the film entered the public domain in the US because its claimant did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.
In 1989, the film was selected by the Library of Congress in the first list of films for preservation in the US National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Cast:
Buster Keaton as Johnnie Gray
Marion Mack as Annabelle Lee
Charles Smith (V) as Mr. Lee
Richard Allen (I) as His Son
Glen Cavender as Captain Anderson
Jim Farley (I) as General Thatcher
Frederick Vroom as Southern General
Joe Keaton as Union General
Mike Donlin as Union General
Tom Nawn as Union General
Credits
Directed by Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
Screenplay by Al Boasberg, Bruckman, Keatonm, Charles Smith, based on The Great Locomotive Chase, 1863 memoir Union soldier by William Pittenger
Produced by Joseph Schenck, Keaton
Cinematography Devereaux Jennings, Bert Haines
Edited by Keaton, Sherman Kell
Music by William P. Perry (1970)
Production: Buster Keaton Productions; Joseph M. Schenck Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates: Dec 31, 1926 (Tokyo); Feb 5, 1927 ((NYC)
Running time: 79 minutes (8 reels) (different versions)
Budget $750,000
Box office $1 million
