Cannes Film Festival
Berlin Film Festival
Rotterdam International Film Festival
Certified Fresh
Brilliantly filmed and fueled with classic physical comedy, "The General" captures Buster Keaton at his timeless best. Buster Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a Southern railroad engineer who loves his train engine, The General, almost as much as he loves Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the opening shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, Johnny tries to enlist -- and he is deemed too useful as an engineer to be a soldier. All Johnny knows is that he's been rejected, and Annabelle, thinking him a coward, turns her back on him. When Northern spies steal the General (and, unwittingly, Annabelle), the story switches from drama and romance to adventure mixed with Keaton's trademark deadpan humor as he uses every means possible to catch up to the General.
Directed By: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
Written By: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Charles H. Smith
Starring: Buster Keaton
Aspects: Comedy, Romance, Silent, Action, Black and White