“The General is a masterpiece . . . pure though by no means simple.” – Vincent Canby
During the American Civil War, a raid was conducted in Georgia. A group of Union soldiers stole a locomotive engine and drove it North, destroying train tracks and telegraph wires along the way. A group of Confederate soldiers followed on their own engine, eventually taking back the first engine and bringing it home. This raid was eventually written down as The Great Locomotive Chase: A History of the Andrews Railroad Raid into Georgia in 1962 by William Pittenger (from the Union perspective). Today the story is lost to the general public. But this is the story that led Buster Keaton to make his best film.
The General has the same basic plot of the real-life event – a group of Union soldiers steal a locomotive engine and drive it North. However, the engine belongs to Keaton’s Johnnie Gray; named “The General,” it is the love of his life. He will stop at nothing to get it back; over the course of the movie, Johnnie follows The General into enemy territory, breaks into Union high command, disguises himself as a Yankee soldier, and takes a Union officer prisoner. He does this single-handedly.
The other love of his life is Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). He courts her at the beginning of the movie, but she turns him down when he is unable to enlist. (He is more valuable as an engineer.) Annabelle is kidnapped when the Union steals The General, a wrong-place-wrong-time circumstance. This is revealed to Johnnie halfway through the movie and leads the two to reunite before the climactic battle scene.
Keaton, who starred, directed, wrote, edited, and produced the movie, is more The Everyman to Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp. Rather than stand out, Keaton blends into the production, fitting into every scene. Keaton’s acting is more deadpan than you would expect. Instead of over-the-top facial expressions, he simply frowns. There are multiple instances of things falling from the sky – water gushing from a spout, wooden beams from a bridge, his hat – and Keaton’s reaction is largely the same. He looks up, holds out a hand, and seems genuinely confused. Part of the comedy comes from the fact that little gets a visual rise out of him.
What Keaton lacks in his face he more than makes up with his body. He walks, runs, sprints, jumps, leaps, swings, climbs, ducks, and throws for just about the entire movie. Rare is the scene where Keaton is simply sitting; his boundless energy seems almost limitless during the sixty-seven-minute film. Keeping in mind that Keaton did all the stunts himself and everything was a practical effect done in real time makes his movements even more impressive.
It is the setting and historical context that intrigues me the most. I had to do some digging to verify that the plot line was “based on a true story.” Today, having a main character who is based in the Confederacy would be cause for concern. In the movie, the Confederates “win” this raid, so it is the natural story point for Keaton to use. It also creates a shorthand for the audience to understand the conflict. However, there is no mention of the cause of the Civil War and no Black characters. The closest we get are two Black porters seen briefly at the beginning. I think these omissions at not intentional: The General is not about the underlying causes of the Civil War, but about a specific incident early in the war. And considering the state of race relations in America in the 1920s, it is no surprise minorities do not make an appearance.
So, what makes this film essential?
Honestly, this is a fun film to watch. Keaton has said that this is his favorite movie to make and it shows. The use of stunts, the conflict, and the slow raising of stakes holds your attention. The version I watched had a score by Carl Davis which added immensely to the final product. Clearly, this film was complex to pull together and had a lot of moving parts. But the outcome is a movie so straightforward and pure that it charms all who watch it. This is what makes it essential.
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