The General Reviews

A masterpiece

Johnnie(Buster Keaton), a train driver, tries to enlist in the civil war but is turned down and his girlfriend is not impressed, 'Don't talk to me again until you're in uniform' she tells him. Things look bad for Johnnie but when northern soldiers steal his train, and his girl, he sets out to save them both.

What follows is a collection of the greatest visual gags, finest comic acting and most draw-dropping stunts in cinema history. Most viewers would think it impossible to construct a chase with trains, after all they are both on tracks and one must also be behind the other. Keaton throws that logic out of the window and endlessly suprises the audience with his imaginative storytelling. He sets increasingly dangerous obstacles for his hero to face(no stunt doubles here) and the ingenious way he overcomes them makes this timeless comedy something truly special. Keaton was also a fine comic actor and reacts to life-threatening situations with a simple look of deadpan bemusement.

This is a solid gold masterpiece which is recommended to viewers of all ages. Unmissable.

Big disappointment

I was very much looking forward to

viewing this. However I immediately

realised it was on a budget label.

The picture quality was dismal even the

added soundtrack was scratchy.

Why cant you stock this from a quality

label which is available with remastered

picture and a brand new soundtrack.

A silent gem

This is a great film to show to someone who turns up their nose at silent films. Its very funny, and Buster Keaton is at his athletic best. Well recommended , and at 1h 20 minutes it's about the right length for a good chuckle. If you just want to try just one silent great, make it this one.

A Chaplin rival

Fluent music, good script, fine camera work, fast paced, great action and suspense and finally a winning romance. The shorts, available as extras on the dvd are equally worthy of the 4 stars.

Stunning

No colour, no sound - but this held us spellbound for two hours. Nearly a hundred years after it was made, in the era of multimedia experience and special effects, this is as entertaining as it ever was. The two 'short' films are Keaton classics too, and are well worth watching in their own right

Fantastic film

'The General' really is a wonderful film, and stands the test of time remarkably well.

It doesn't suffer from a 'lack of sound' - rather, the absence of dialogue means much more is given to the visual elements - from facial expressions to gags. Keaton does slapstick how it's meant to be done - naturally and surprising the viewer at every turn - rather than the sort you see in modern films, which can be contrived and predictable.

This film is funny, engaging and exciting - the railway chase scenes are accompanied by classic silent movie chase music. As a bonus, it contains the single most expensive shot of the silent movie era!

Unmissable.

Don't Know!!

Having read and seen so much about this film, with critics aclaiming it as great I couldn't see why. Although I enjoy silent movies and Keaton I felt let down when I viewed it I think I'd got my 2006 head on.

Silence is the most powerful communication

Although it takes a few minutes to adjust to no sound after many hours spent watching trash on TV it was a breathe of fresh air to see the expressive way actors can draw the viewer in. This film is well worth a watch and by the end you will be laughing harder than had the actors been tripping off Friends like a glib joke evry ten seconds.

Entertaining and Enjoyable

Engine driver tries to enlist in army during American Civil war but fails. Then uses his train to change the course of history. For its day, this was a very well made film. Technically it is way ahead of its time. We all enjoyed it despite the lack of sound.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Seminal silent film making

Set against the background of the American Civil War, Buster Keaton dazzles with some stunts that look good even by today's standards in his silent classic. Considering it was made in 1927 the film making itself is brilliant and I think the time the film was made has to be taken into consideration, particularly when it's still better than many films that come out even now.