I have a new leader for earliest-made movie (this was made the year before the amazing Sunrise), and, unsurprisingly, it's a silent film. (Though I guess anything before 1927 must be a silent film, since isn't The Jazz Singer the first talkie?) Another one of the things I wanted to accomplish with this blog was to watch some different kinds of films, as well as more tried-and-true classics, and since I've never seen any Chaplin or Keaton films.
The General is all about Keaton and his locomotive. Disallowed from enlisting in the Confederate Army due to his strength as an engineer (railroad, not electrical or mechanical), and thus possibly losing the amour of his ladyfriend Annabelle, but when Annabelle is abducted on board his locomotive, Johnnie Gray (Keaton), desires to rescue both his lady and his locomotive.
I didn't know that much about the film going in, other than it is, 85 years later, still very highly regarded. I also read that it was a really funny comedy, so I had a preconceived notion that it was going to be a little slapstick or that it would rely heavily on sight gags. What I got, instead, was an extremely well-measured kind-of-comedy with wonderful comedic timing (the thirty seconds of Johnnie, Annabelle, and the bear trap had me almost in tears) and some terrific athleticism from Keaton running up and down the train.
The story itself is simple, and, really, it only really provides the backdrop for Keaton to do his thing for 78 minutes. That being said, it was really heartwarming. In the same way that Sunrise kept me in suspense the whole time (which, at the time, I felt may have been slightly incidental, though I now realize not to assume that the film was truly going for that is somewhat of a disservice), Keaton kept me entranced. I have a couple more of his in my IMDb Watchlist that I'm excited to get to some time this year.
Score: 9.5/10
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