The General: Special Edition (2 Discs)

    Featuring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack & Glen Cavender

    Format: DVD | Rating: 15 years & over

    4 out of 5(1 customer review) | Write a review

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    Love, locomotives and laughs! On this special edition DVD, the original film has been digitally restored frame by frame and is accompanied by a symphonic score written and recorded by Jo Hisaishi, one of modern cinema's leading composers.

    Johnny Gray (Keaton), is a brave little Southern engineer on the Western and Atlantic Rail Road running through Georgia in 1861. The Civil War is declared and Johnny tries to enlist but is told that he is more valuable as an engineer. When his train, containing his girlfriend Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is stolen by Union spies, Johnny takes another locomotive and the most memorable chase in silent film history ensues...

    Of special interest is the amazing fact that Keaton performed all of the dangerous and hair-raising stunts himself, numerous times, on real moving trains. One of Keaton's best silent features, it is a tremendous action comedy with a host of visual gags.

    Disc 1:

  • A fully restored High Definition version of film
  • Introduction by David Robinson (5 mins)
  • 'Movie Restoration' featurette (3 mins)
  • 'Recording The 2004 Score' featurette (8 mins)
  • Disc 2:

    • An extract from the tinted version of the film (7 mins)
    • 'The Railroader': a follow up film to 'The General' (25 mins)
    • 'Buster Keaton Rides Again' documentary (55 mins)
    • 'Filming The General' featurette
    • 'Orson Welles Presents The General' featurette (11 mins)
    • 'Return Of The General' short film (11 mins)
    • 'The Iron Mule' short film (13 mins)
    • 'Alice's Tin Pony': a Walt Disney cartoon (6 mins)
    • 'Filmography' featurette (11 mins)
    • 'The Great Locomotive Chase' trailer
    ActorsBuster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley & Joseph Keaton
    DirectorClyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
    Certificate15 years and over
    Year1927
    ScreenFullscreen 4:3
    LanguagesSILENT
    SubtitlesEnglish
    Duration3 hours 58 minutes (approx)
    RegionRegion 2 - Will only play on European Region 2 or multi-region DVD players.

    customer Reviews

     Average rating (1 review)

     The Last Great Comedy Of the Silent Era

    | | See all stuartfear's reviews (605)

    Top 100  Reviewer Top 100 DVD Reviewer

    Many film historians have called Buster Keaton's, The General as the last great comedy movie of the silent era...and for good reason!
    The story much like every other silent film is visually driven, there isn't a huge amount of word cards placed in so the story itself is fairly straight forward. Much like a number of Keaton movies he's a good man who just has a little bad luck, but in the end he'll be the hero and get the girl.
    This is ultimately a chase movie, the yankees from the north stealing a southern train and with Buster chasing behind. An ingenius idea, how anyone can make a chase movie when its all on one track and there's always one in front and one behind, is truly beyond me. But somehow...Buster Does It!
    As always, Buster Keaton proves to be one of the greatest stunt men of all time, he throws his body from wall to wall, ground to the sky and doesn't even batter an eyelid. His falls are entertaining, hilarious and insane all at the same time.

    Overall: The General is one of those classic gems which you must see to believe. The comedy is fresh and original, there's the stuble scenes that'll get chuckles, the falls which'll get a laugh, and the stunts which'll make you gasp in amazement.
    Although I wouldnt say this is Buster's greatest film it's definitely up there with the best, a recommended watch for comedy lovers.

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