What
I know going in
I have actually seen the film once
before and enjoyed quite a bit. I’m looking forward to a re-watch.
Immediate
response
The
General is a film dedicated to
movement. There is a momentum to almost every shot, rarely is anything static,
whether that is through the movement of the trains or the movement of the
camera. In this way, The General, is
the original action film. All the typical aspects of an action flick, from the
car chases of The French Connection,
to the whirring bodies of The Raid:
Redemption, spring from chases and stunts presented in Keaton’s film. In a
way, Keaton himself could be considered the original action hero. He starts the
film as an ordinary dude, like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. He has to rescue a damsel in distress from a group of baddies
and prevent an evil, complicated plot through skill, ingenuity, and luck. It is
all very Indiana Jones-esque.
Finally, he performs a series of courageous, death-defying stunts. All of these
facets have been integrated into the DNA of every action film at this point.
The limited mobility of trains allows
Keaton to pull off some very impressive tracking shots that would be impossible
at the time if cars were used. Of particular note is the chase near the end
where Keaton and his girlfriend are escaping from a northern camp to warn their
friends. The camera zips back and forth between Keaton and his pursuers.
Telegraph lines are ripped up, traps are laid, and people are thrown, tossed,
and shuffled. There is a head-bopping rhythm to the editing in the train chases
that is really enjoyable.
However, there is one aspect of the
film that I did not like and that is Keaton’s status as a Confederate. I did
not have a problem with Keaton’s own actions, because he seems to be acting
purely out of desire for his girlfriend. But the movie has this weird tone
where it seems to be pushing the Confederacy as underdogs. This also adds an
uncomfortable edge the Confederate victory at the end. I really do not know why
Keaton chose to position the film this way, you could easily switch his
allegiance and nothing would change. I hesitate to accuse the movie of racism,
but portraying the South as freedom fighters defending against Northern
aggression smacks of revisionist history.
Further
thoughts
The
General has a surprising number of
small comedic moments and observation that would not be out of place in a
modern comedy. An early example is Keaton rubbing the tops of his shoes on the
back of his pants legs. It’s a small moment which reveals that Keaton’s
character is concerned about presenting himself to his girlfriend, but is also
a bit of a schlub. Another neat moment occurs during the end chase. Keaton and
his girlfriend are working together to power the train. They start conversing
and she grabs a small part of his uniform and twists around in her fingers a
bit. This is a very small, visual way to show her concern about him, and it is
even better for showing up in a silent film, a genre most people mistakenly
characterize as being full of over-the-top mugging. The same character, in
throwaway bit of comic mischief, tosses a piece of wood for having a knothole.
Why
is the film on this list?
The
General is a technical masterpiece
that embodies the term “moving picture” in every possible way.
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