The General 4K 1926 Ultra HD 2160p

Young Johnny Gray was rejected by the Confederate Army, and his beloved Annabel Lee rejects him, calling him a coward. Nevertheless, he and his “partner,” the locomotive, outsmart everyone and win the battle. Johnny fights train hijackers, a disobedient cannon, and the unpredictable forces of fate.

User Review

The charm of silent cinema. Emotions and feelings expressed solely through the actors' performances. Filming techniques that are outdated but were brilliant for their time. Musical accompaniment that allows you to immerse yourself as deeply as possible in this exciting and unique world.

Having become interested in the history of silent cinema, I simply could not ignore the film The General, the most striking example of silent comedy, which has become a classic.

To be honest, The General is the first film with Buster Keaton that I have bothered to watch. From the very first minutes, Keaton's acting and facial expressions are a little surprising. Viewers accustomed to the exaggerated emotions of silent film actors may feel that Keaton is underplaying his role, that he is slacking off a little. Fortunately, this impression quickly dissipates—as you watch Keaton's performance, you begin to understand that he is not even trying to play his character. He literally lives in this role, letting all the emotions flow through him. He does not put on the character's mask; on the contrary, he allows the essence of Johnny Grey to try on the mask of Buster Keaton. The performances of the other actors are also commendable, but one should not expect truly impressive acting from a comedy; the talent to authentically convey the comicality of the situation is the most important attribute of a comedy actor.

But let's move on to the film itself. Johnny Grey is the engineer of the locomotive “The General,” who knows his job well but has not shown any talent in anything else. His beloved does not want to hear anything from him until he enlists in the military. Johnny wants to become a soldier at all costs, but fate has other plans, giving Johnny and his train, the General, the opportunity to make history in the Civil War. The Northerners hijack a train carrying food supplies, and our hero has a unique chance to prove to his beloved Annabel that he is worthy of her hand and heart.

The chase scenes on the railroad take up most of the film. The director's imagination is striking—Johnny always emerges victorious from a multitude of seemingly hopeless situations. Just take the classic episode with the huge cannon, when luck once again helps the dimwit.

The special effects and stunts in the film are still impressive even today. In some episodes, it becomes really scary for the actors' health. Keaton could have died dozens of times under the wheels of a locomotive during filming, or been injured in numerous falls, but his fearless performance is admirable, even despite the madness and danger of the situation.

The episode of the battle between the armies of the North and South is undoubtedly the most difficult in terms of technical execution. It is filled with stunts, explosions, and special effects to such an extent that it seems impossible to shoot such a scene in real conditions without the use of modern editing techniques and special effects.

Take, for example, the scene of the train falling off the bridge—probably the most spectacular scene in the entire world of silent cinema. Or the dam burst—a huge danger threatened the entire film crew, and we can only applaud their courage and skill.
But let's not forget the main thing. The General is first and foremost a comedy. In every episode of this film, the authors tried to squeeze out the maximum amount of comedy. Take, for example, the scene of Annabel's kidnapping from enemy captivity. Trying to behave as quietly as possible, Buster Keaton's character nevertheless makes a lot of noise. This can even be seen as somewhat symbolic of Buster Keaton's acting style—striving for minimalism, he nevertheless evokes a storm of emotions in the viewer.

Also, the scene after the text looks very comical:

“The Northern Army is on the offensive.”
I won't talk about it—I don't want to spoil the impression.

The General is the most vivid representative of silent comedy. Even if you don't see any hidden meaning in it, and even if Buster Keaton's acting, though admirable, is still inferior to Charlie Chaplin's in terms of comedy, you should definitely watch this film. A charge of positive emotions is guaranteed!

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (59.2 Mb/s)
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Info Audio

#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Info Subtitles