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IMDbPro

The General

  • 19261926
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
93K
YOUR RATING
Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
Trailer for The General
Play trailer1:03
2 Videos
91 Photos
ActionAdventureComedy
After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized ... Read allAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
93K
YOUR RATING
    • Clyde Bruckman
    • Buster Keaton
  • Writers
    • Buster Keaton
    • Clyde Bruckman
    • Al Boasberg(adapted by)
  • Stars
    • Buster Keaton
    • Marion Mack
    • Glen Cavender
    • Clyde Bruckman
    • Buster Keaton
  • Writers
    • Buster Keaton
    • Clyde Bruckman
    • Al Boasberg(adapted by)
  • Stars
    • Buster Keaton
    • Marion Mack
    • Glen Cavender
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 340User reviews
    • 122Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #187
    • Awards

    Videos2

    The General
    Trailer 1:03
    Watch The General
    BUSTER KEATON: 3 FILMS [Masters of Cinema] Limited Edition Blu-ray Boxed Set
    Trailer 1:34
    Watch BUSTER KEATON: 3 FILMS [Masters of Cinema] Limited Edition Blu-ray Boxed Set

    Photos91

    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    "The General" Buster Keaton  1926 MGM
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton and Marion Mack in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
    Buster Keaton in The General (1926)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Buster Keaton
    Buster Keaton
    • Johnnie Gray
    Marion Mack
    Marion Mack
    • Annabelle Lee
    Glen Cavender
    Glen Cavender
    • Captain Anderson
    Jim Farley
    Jim Farley
    • General Thatcher
    Frederick Vroom
    • A Southern General
    Frank Barnes
    • Her Brother
    Charles Henry Smith
    • Her Father
    • (as Charles Smith)
    Joe Keaton
    Joe Keaton
    • Union General
    Mike Donlin
    Mike Donlin
    • Union General
    Tom Nawn
    • Union General
    Henry Baird
    • Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Bricher
    • Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Jimmy Bryant
    • Raider
    • (uncredited)
    Sergeant Bukowski
    • Officer
    • (uncredited)
    C.C. Cruson
    • Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Dempster
    • Raider
    • (uncredited)
    Keith Fennell
    • Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Budd Fine
    • Raider
    • (uncredited)
      • Clyde Bruckman
      • Buster Keaton
    • Writers
      • Buster Keaton
      • Clyde Bruckman
      • Al Boasberg(adapted by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the scenes with the opposing armies marching, Buster Keaton had the extras (which included 500 Oregon National Guard troops) wear the gray uniforms of the Confederacy and march in one direction past the camera, then he had them change uniforms to the Union blues and had them march past the camera in the other direction.
    • Goofs
      Annabelle gets drenched when she and Johnnie stop for water, but as they return to the engine, her dress is dry.
    • Quotes

      Johnnie Gray: [to the recruiter who rejects him] If you lose this war don't blame me.

    • Crazy credits
      Although Buster Keaton is the star of this film, he is listed last in the on-screen credits.
    • Alternate versions
      In 2003, 'David H. Shepard' produced 75-minute video version with music by The Alloy Orchestra.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Golden Age of Buster Keaton (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      The General
      Written by William P. Perry

    User reviews340

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    It is more appreciated now than when it was released
    This film flopped when it was released in late 1926 for several reasons. First, its premiere was delayed because "Flesh and the Devil" was such a sensation that it was held over an extra couple of weeks. Second, people came to the movies to see Buster Keaton the comedian, not Buster the filmmaker and director, which is more of the role he played here. The film was funny, but it was not gag after gag, like so many of Keaton's other films. Keaton plays a railroad engineer living in the South. A title card declares he has two loves - his girl and his engine. when the Civil War starts he tries to enlist, but is considered too valuable to be in the Army due to his profession. His girlfriend misunderstands, thinks him a coward, and says she won't speak to him again until he is in uniform.

    Meanwhile, the Union forces have developed a plan to crush the South that involves stealing Buster's train. Unknown to Buster, his girlfriend is on the train at the time of the theft. Buster starts out in hot pursuit of the thieves to retrieve his train, still without the knowledge of his girl's captivity by the Union army.

    Forgotten with the arrival of sound, the film revived - often cut up from its original length - in the 1950's because Buster didn't preserve his rights to the film and it fell into the public domain. That is the reason there are so many versions of The General out there today, often with poor video and hideous musical accompaniment.

    Today The General is considered one of the best silent feature length films, and one of the few silent films to not only be on DVD but to get the Blu Ray treatment too. SHERLOCK, JR. is clever. OUR HOSPITALITY is hilarious. The General is both of these things. It's story driven, races to a climax, and is fueled by cute, clever, inventive gags.Buster recycled these gags when he was a writer for MGM years later in "A Southern Yankee".
    helpful•23
    7
    • AlsExGal
    • Mar 27, 2017

    FAQ9

    • A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
    • Why do the two little boys follow Johnnie Gray around?
    • What's the name of that thing Buster Keaton is sitting on?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 2, 1927 (United States)
      • United States
      • None
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Cottage Grove, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Buster Keaton Productions
      • Joseph M. Schenck Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 7 minutes
      • Silent

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