RE-RELEASE: The General (1926, Dirs. Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, USA) (Cert: U/Unrated) ****

Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Kavender

Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, train engineer Johnnie Grey (Keaton) wants to sign up and fight for The Confederacy. Rejected on the grounds that his work as an engineer is too valuable, Johnnie rushes to save the day when his beloved Annabel (Mack) and his train, The General, are taken as part of a Union plot.

Whilst he probably doesn't have the name recognition of his contemporary Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton was an extraordinary comic performer a master of timing, physicality and expression. Whilst not a hit upon its release in 1926, The General is now regarded as one of Keaton's best and most famous works.

The thing that initially stands out with this re-release is its pristine visual quality, with little of the residual specks and scratches you may expect from of a film of this age. The remarkable visual aspect allows for some admirable landscape shots and Buster Keaton's expressive abilities as a performer to take centre stage in a series of very amusing set-pieces that showcase a truly daring performer. Made in the days when stunt work was in its infancy, Keaton performed his own physical feats (the most famous probably being him dislodging stray debris from the track just before the train he's sitting on almost runs over them) made all the more remarkable being that everything was played out for real, with little to no safety measures.

To a modern audience, the film may seem at times a little strange. Specifically the notion of cheering on a soldier for The Confederacy; the army that fought for the protection of slavery yet this is hardly addressed (thankfully) and is far less disturbing to modern sensibilities than the likes of the pro-Klan film Birth Of A Nation (1915). Also, at a slim 75 minutes, the film plays more like a succession of incidents rather than as a cohesive story. That being said, it is deserving of its stature as a classic and is a master class in comic performance. 

(Note: The trailer is from before this remastered release)