"The book is a film that takes place in the mind of the reader." ~ Paulo Coelho

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Movie Review: The General (1927)

Hello, everyone!
Lea at Silent∙ology hosted a Buster Keaton blogathon! And, as I have only ever reviewed talkies on my blog, I thought I would change it up and participate!
So I thought I would start my silent movie reviewing career with one of the most famous. No, this is not the first time I've ever seen Buster Keaton, it is only the first movie I've seen him in, as I have seen short films (one). And no, this is not the first full length silent movie I have ever seen. It is the third.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.

The General (1927):
(Why is it every time I review a black and white movie, the only cover I can find is in color?)
A young man, Johnnie Gray, wants to enlist, but they will not let him because he is useful to them as the railroad engineer of The General. Annabelle Lee is very disappointed in him, because she thinks he didn't even try to enlist. When The General is stolen, Johnnie tries everything to get it back.
Genre: Silent, Comedy, Action.
Length: approx. 107 minutes.
Costumes: 8, I really like this one: (Hers, not his.)
Script: N?A, Well... as it is a silent movie, there isn't really any script. But, some of the cards/captions are pretty good.
"Aren't you going to enlist?"
Crew:
Directed by: 
Buster Keaton
Clyde Bruckman
Produced by:
Joseph Schenck
Buster Keaton
Screenplay by:
Al Boasberg
Clyde Bruckman
Buster Keaton
Charles Henry Smith
Paul Girard Smith
Based on: The Great Locomotive Chase - by William Pittenger
Starring:
Buster Keaton as Johnnie Gray
Marion Mack as Annabelle Lee
Charles Henry Smith as Annabelle's Father
Frank Barnes as Annabelle's Brother
Glen Cavender as Union Captain Anderson
Jim Farley as General Thatcher
Frederick Vroom as a Confederate General
Cinematography: 9, this is known especially for Buster Keaton sitting on a train's wheels when it begins to move. I couldn't find a picture of it, but you should look it up!
Cinematography by:
Bert Haines
Devereaux Jennings
Music: 9, I did really like the choices, and how they worked with parts in the movie.
Quotes: 7, once again, silent movies are not known for their great speeches....
"If you lose this war don't blame me."
NOTE: This movie is about The Civil War, but it is routing for the south. So, while it is funny, I don't really like it, because there just was a weird feeling about it.
Storyline: 4, there is smoking, war, kidnapping, and death, but I mostly put it this low for the above reason.
Good For: People who like trains, people who like silent movies.
Overall Score: 7!

Thanks again to Silent∙ology for hosting this!

MovieCritic

2 comments:

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