The General
Short description
Set during the American Civil War, The General follows Johnnie Gray, a railroad engineer in the South whose two great loves are his locomotive and his fiancée, Annabelle Lee. When he tries to enlist, he is turned away because his skills are considered more useful on the railroad, a rejection that leaves Annabelle and her family believing him a coward. A year later, Union soldiers hijack his train and carry Annabelle off with it. Johnnie sets out alone after both, pursued across enemy territory and back again.
The film is a silent comedy built around Buster Keaton's physical performance, and he directed it with Clyde Bruckman; the two also wrote the screenplay. It is the eighth of the thirteen films Keaton directed, coming between Go West and Battling Butler. Keaton stars as Johnnie Gray alongside Marion Mack as Annabelle Lee, with Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Frederick Vroom and Frank Barnes among the credited cast of forty-three. Joseph M. Schenck produced with Keaton.
Released in late 1926, The General earned about one million dollars worldwide. Its reputation has grown since: it holds 8.1 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 106,000 votes and 7.9 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller pool of about 1,500, while a film critics' rating stands at 9.7 out of 10 from 63 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- "The General" was re-released in 1962 at the initiative of a Munich distributor and achieved widespread success.
- The scene with the train crash and the collapse of the bridge over the river was the most expensive scene in the history of silent cinema.
- The battle scene at Rock River between the Southerners and Northerners was filmed simultaneously with six cameras. Several extras were injured during the explosions, and Buster Keaton was injured by the blast wave.
- The battle scene involved 500 soldiers from the Oregon National Guard.
- The final battle scene caused a forest fire, which the entire film crew extinguished.
- The film's script is based on an episode from the American Civil War involving the hijacking of a locomotive and the subsequent chase, as described by former Union Corporal William Pittenger in his 1863 book, “Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great Railroad Adventure.”
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