After watching my first Charlie Chaplin movie I thought I might give another great actor of the silent era a go, so when I typed Buster Keaton's name into Youtube this film was the first on the list. Well, as it turns out, at least according to Wikipedia, this film is apparently his best, and some have even considered it the best film ever made. Well, I personally won't go that far, though it does have its moments, namely because, especially in the silent era, there are movies that far surpass this particular film. Mind you, one thing that does stand out is that this would definitely have been considered a big budget movie of the silent era, particularly the scene where a steam train crosses a bridge and the entire bridge collapses.The General is actually a pretty simple movie, though that is pretty much to be expected from the silent era. Well, okay, when we consider films like Nosferatu and Metropolis, then the silent era did produce some pretty complicated films, but this isn't one of them. Basically the film follows the exploits of an engineer Johnny Gray at the opening stages of the American Civil War. Gray goes to enlist but is denied due to him being a train driver (though he isn't told) and upon being rejected from the army, he is also rejected by the woman he loves, namely because she wants a brave man in uniform.However, he gets the opportunity to redeem himself when a group of Northern spies steal his train and head off back across the lines. Gray, upon seeing his train being taken, gives chase and the film becomes one whooping great big chase, though they happen to be using trains instead of cars. In fact being so used to car chases it is rather amusing watching one long chase scene that happens to use steam trains instead and all the tricks that are used to try and stop the train behind or catch up to the train in front.As can be expected this film has an awful lot of slapstick, but then again this is basically what Keaton was famous for – slapstick, or physical comedy as some refer to it as. Mind you, Chaplin demonstrated that the humour in the silent era could be quite subtle, however this film doesn't have Chaplins' hands anywhere near it (and it appears that Keaton and Chaplin didn't work on the same projects, probably because both of them were actor/directors).The film is quite entertaining, and certainly worth watching, though don't expect anything too flash. Mind you, considering when it was made, and the fact that Keaton did all his own stunts (and special effects were basically non-existent), then it does carry some pretty interesting historical values.

Outstanding performance by Buster Keaton. What a silent comedy! What a character is this train engineer! Beautiful! This action-adventure-comedy is smooth and light fight with trains. But obviously, those kind of trains of the first ones - those that work with firewood and a flexible 'driver'.Our main character, very tenacious, wants his love. He has his first one, the train, and now he wants Annabelle Lee. He does everything, from the beginning till the end to achieve her attention. An attention obtained because of an uniform. Yes, that is true, but only because those times were like that.But forget about that love - cheap kisses and looks - because in here the story is about these bloody trains and how they chase each other. Interestingly enough, for 1926 this 67 minutes are 'marvelous'! There is more text than The Kid (1921) or City Lights (1931), and even more comedy and captivation. Yes, it is true that is all about those trains, but the story goes on the rails with a linear perspective.

An endearing and consistently entertaining romp from Buster Keaton that flows seamlessly between exhilarating action, bonkers comedy and stunning on-location photography. As always, Keaton performs all his own stunts here and they never fail to impress and keep you riveted, without being overly dramatic while doing so. It was a flop when it came out back in the mid-20s, but has since been re-evaluated as one of the best silent comedies of all time, and rightly so. Of course, Keaton's deadpan style isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but The General uses every tool in the comic's arsenal and comes out shining as a result. Avoid public domain releases and seek out the restored Kino Lorber BluRay for the best possible experience.

Enjoyed "The General" and it was a quick 70 minutes. Buster Keaton, of course, is from another era, when motion pictures were more visual (before sound). They relied on sight gags and optical wizardry and "The General" succeeds in spades.Haven't really seen much of Buster Keaton but his stunt work was impressive, even if his deadpan brand of humor is an acquired taste. The film is very good but I would stop short of calling it one of the all-time greats, as the TCM host claimed. But the story moved at a good pace and was interesting and absorbing. Can't ask for more than that, can you?