Product Description

NEWLY MASTERED IN HD FROM A 35MM ARCHIVE PRINT STRUCK FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE

THE NUMBER 18 GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME (AFI 100 YEARS... 100 MOVIES)

Consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, Buster Keaton s THE GENERAL is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it continues to inspire awe and laughter with every viewing. This Kino Ultimate 2 Disc Edition was mastered in HD from a 35mm archive print struck from the original camera negative. Rejected by the Confederate army as unfit, and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), young Johnny Gray (Keaton) is given a chance to redeem himself when Yankee spies steal his cherished locomotive. Johnny wages a one-man war against hijackers, an errant cannon and the unpredictable hand of fate while roaring along the iron rails. Every shot has the authenticity and the unassuming correct composition of a Mathew Brady Civil War photograph, wrote film historian David Robinson, No one not even Griffith or Huston and certainly not Fleming (Gone With the Wind) caught the visual aspect of the Civil War as Keaton did.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

- Three musical scores to choose from:

(1) Music composed and conducted by Carl Davis, performed by The Thames Silents Orchestra (in 5.1 Stereo Surround or 2.0 Stereo)

(2) Music arranged and directed by Robert Israel

(3) Theatre organ score by Lee Erwin

- A video tour of the authentic General, presented in association with The Southern Museum

- A tour of the filming locations, presented by John Bengtson, author of Silent Echoes

- Behind-the-scenes home movie footage

- Filmed introduction by Gloria Swanson

- Filmed introduction by Orson Welles

- The Buster Express, a brisk montage of train gags from throughout Keaton s career

Product Description

Buster Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a Southern railroad engineer who loves his train engine, The General, almost as much as he loves Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the opening shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, Johnny tries to enlist - and he is deemed too useful as an engineer to be a soldier. All Johnny knows is that he's been rejected, and Annabelle, thinking him a coward, turns her back on him. When Northern spies steal the General (and, unwittingly, Annabelle), the story switches from drama and romance to adventure mixed with Keaton's trademark deadpan humor as he uses every means possible to catch up to the General, thwart the Yankees, and rescue his darling Annabelle - for starters. As always, Keaton performs his own stunts, combining his prodigious dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and expressive body language to convey more emotion than the stars of any of the talkies that were soon to dominate cinema. ~ Emru Townsend, Rovi

Product Description

The General Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Joseph Keaton, Frederick Vroom, Charles Smith, Frank Barnes, Mike Donlin Synopsis: Union spies pursue an engineer who chased them to recover his stolen train. Silent. Directed by Buster Keaton. Format: DVD Color: Black and White Rating: Not Rated Genre: Comedy Runtime: 74 Year: 1927 Director: Buster Keaton