Country: United States
Language: English

About the film:

Many critics consider The General to be the last great comedy of the silent era, and it consistently ranks as one of the greatest comedies of all time on international critics’ polls. Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is also an authentic looking period piece, bringing the scope and realism of Matthew Brady-like images to brilliant life. The title refers not to Keaton’s character, but to his engine, The General, which figures prominently in one of the most harrowing and hilarious chase scenes ever filmed.

“[Keaton’s films] have such a graceful perfection, such a meshing of story, character and episode, that they unfold like music.”

—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Keaton portrays the engineer Johnnie Gray, who is rejected by the Confederate Army and then suffers the further humiliation of his girlfriend’s (Marion Mack) thinking him a coward. When a small band of Union soldiers penetrate far beyond Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in hot pursuit; seven of the film’s eight reels (are) devoted to the chase, with its orchestration of thrills and comedy. Keaton shot the film on the narrow railways of Oregon and used less than 50 titles to explain the whole story.

About the filmmakers:

Buster Keaton is widely considered to be one of the greatest comic actors and directors of all time. Throughout his life, Keaton made dozens of short films and fourteen major silent features—many of which, including Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), and The Cameraman (1928), revolutionized silent comedy. His career was most prolific in the 1920s before the rise of “talkies” reduced his demand, but in the 1940s and 1950s Keaton appeared as himself in films such as Dir. Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Dir. Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight (1952). 

Clyde Bruckman was a screenwriter and film director who frequently collaborated with Buster Keaton, most often supplying storylines and screenplays. Following his first feature-length directorial venture in 1926 with The General, Bruckman made several shorts and feature films.

MAJOR SUPPORT
Ohio Arts Council
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Campus Partners
National Endowment for the Arts

WITH HELP FROM
G&J Pepsi
WOSU Public Media