Top 250 - The General (1926)

A masterpiece of cinematography and adventure storytelling - "The General" is the definition of how action should have been done.

It shows my complete ignorance of silent film (and American history) to say that I went into this picture thinking Keaton was playing a famous general, or at least, that a general of some kind was part of the story, perhaps somewhere along the lines of Chaplin's Dictator (this was also, I'd like to note, before I'd seen the cover to your left). I was right in some measure. There certainly was a general or two on screen, given the context of the American Civil War, however, the 'General' of the title is a locomotive engine, captured by Union troops and used to destroy communications and railroads in an attempt to win the war for the North. Luckily for the Confederates, Keaton's Johnnie Gray was the General's conductor at the time and chased tirelessly, not only to liberate his beloved train from the Union but to give warning to the Confederacy and bring the advancing troops to a standstill. And whilst there may be a change of names and a little dramatisation, OK more than a little, the story doesn't waver too far from the events of the 'Great Locomotive Chase' of 1862, a hijack that resulted in the first medal of honor recipient.


Before watching 'The General', my only knowledge of Buster Keaton was a vague memory of a channel 4 list show (greatest movie stunts/comedy moments/worst cameo - something like that) and how he managed to be standing in the exact window space of the side of a falling-down house, as to not become instantly crushed. That and he shares his name with an above average Batman. Following the two Chaplin master works was indeed a formidable challenge but Johnnie Gray was certainly up to the challenge. It was also a timely reminder that, after watching a disappointingly bland 'Unstoppable' considering the powerhouse of the Scott/Washington/Pine combo, adventure films set on trains can actually be exciting.