Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Joseph Schenck, silent film, silent movie stars, free classic film, old movies, silent era, archive films, silent comedy, silent classics, classic comedy movies, classic Civil War movies, The General

   Buster Keaton

Directed by               Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Produced by             Joseph Schenck, Buster Keaton
Scenario by              Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton          
Based on                    The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger
Starring                     Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
Cinematography       Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings
Distributed by           United Artists
Release date               5 February 1927
Running time             75 min.
Country                      United States
Language                    Silent film, English intertitles

This movie is part of our series "Other Favorite Films".  This category includes films that do not feature a particular star from our site, but which in our view represent a major contribution of a silent movie to the Arts and Culture of the world.

Update:

We have credible evidence in the form of two photographs that Snitz Edwards acted for "The General".  The scenes that he was in were not included in the final cut of the film. Still, unlike any other film site, we believe that Snitz Edwards must be given credit for this film and we have included "The General" in his filmography. The two pictures with Snitz Edwards and Buster Keaton in "The General" can be seen in the slide show. They are significant for another reason as well: they show that the partnership between Snitz Edwards and Buster Keaton went beyond the three masterpieces Seven Chances (1925), Battling Butler (1926) and College (1927).

"The General", a classic silent comedy, lifted Buster Keaton from the ashes of oblivion decades after his name and legacy were forgotten.  Audiences and critics in the 1920ies did not appreciate this extraordinary masterpiece, but Buster Keaton always regarded "The General" as his best film.  Today he is totally vindicated and the world agrees with him.

Simple mortals like us are not able to give adequate praise to this masterpiece.  "The General" is fascinating, thrilling, suspenseful, spectacular, and yet thoroughly entertaining.  The movie luminary Orson Welles has stated that Buster Keaton's "The General" is "the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made." (From Wikipedia).

The film contains the single most spectacular scene of the Silent Era when a real train falls from a burning bridge and crashes into the river below.

"The General" has been voted in the list of the best films ever made, and is ranked number 1 in the list of The Top 100 Silent Era Films of the influential website Silent Era.

"The General" was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 1989, the first year it was enacted.

The film enjoys extraordinary popularity and has an outstanding rating in IMDB.

Click to enlarge: {imageshow sl=71 sc=3 /}

   Snitz Edwards and Buster Keaton in "The General"