The General Review: Keaton’s Classic Turns 100

100 years later, Buster Keaton’s film The General continues to captivate, despite some cringey and outdated elements.

Johnnie Gray (Keaton) has two great loves, the opening text tells the audience: his locomotive, named “The General,” and his girl, Annabelle (Marion Mack). When the beloved locomotive is captured by Union troops, Johnnie and Annabelle must recapture it and warn the Confederate troops of an upcoming attack. Reading this premise, contemporary audiences will easily understand the outdated elements at work. Looking past its clear moral compromises, though, one finds that The General is not only a great silent film; it’s a great film period.

Some of the best silent-era films stun me in the way they convey plot and emotion through physicality. The General serves as a prime example, as Keaton’s face, subtle movements, and reactions all serve the movie’s overall function. While many classic silent films utilize title cards to provide exposition and dialogue, it feels as though The General didn’t even need them, because the audience is able to understand everything that is happening thanks to the film’s overall mise-en-scene and Keaton’s unparalleled performance in particular.

People think back on the films of Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd and assume that these performances carry each movie, leaving little cultural or artistic relevance outside of the actors themselves. But The General proves that silent films can be excellent, well-rounded films. Paying close attention to things like shot composition, one quickly realizes this film is more than a simple playground in which Keaton plays. A perfectly symmetrical, lovely shot where Keaton runs down the train track, placed perfectly in the middle of the frame, as the train disappears further down the track in the background, demonstrates the craft behind the camera. Even in an era where filmmakers were figuring out what made their artform unique, Keaton and co-director Clyde Bruckman reveal that their movie is more than a one-trick pony.

Despite all other attributes, one cannot separate The General from Keaton himself, his performance, his antics, and his clear love for the craft. The stunts he performs on and around the train are nothing short of miraculous. A personal favorite of mine—and one of the film’s most iconic moments—involves Keaton sitting on the locomotive’s side rod as the train begins to move, carrying him with it. While one of the more aesthetically pleasing stunts, this was far from the most dangerous, yet Keaton performs each with a sense of effortlessness. He thrived because of his commitment to his films, leaving a legacy as both a comedic genius and an early action star.

All of The General’s qualities add up to an astounding work, even at 100 years old. While we certainly need to wrestle with its problematic premise, to say we should abandon a classic like this altogether would be to miss out on some of the earliest moments of pure, transcendent filmmaking.

The General is now available to stream on digital platforms and can be watched for free on the Internet Archive.