About this movie
Cast & Crew
Cast
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Buster Keaton
Johnnie Gray
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Marion Mack
Annabelle Lee
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Glen Cavender
Capt. Anderson
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Jim Farley
Gen, Thatcher
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Fred Vroom
Southern General
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Richard Allen
His Son
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Joe Keaton
Union General
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Mike Donlin
Union General
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Jimmy Bryant
Raider
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Budd Fine
Raider
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Frank S. Hagney
Recruiting Officer
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Edward Hearn
Union Officer
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Ross McCutcheon
Raider
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Charles Phillips
Raider
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Charles Smith
Mr. Lee
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Tom Nawn
Union General
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Anthony Harvey
Raider
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Ray Thomas
Raider
Directors
- Buster Keaton
- Clyde Bruckman
Producers
- Buster Keaton
- Joseph M. Schenck
Writers
- Buster Keaton
The General
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.
Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes
92%
percent positive reviews
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Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]Spectacular chases, fires and explosions are captured with fluid camerawork. There are no stunt doubles for Keaton and of course no digital effects.
– Full review
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Simon Braund, Empire Magazine
The birth of slapstick.
– Full review
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Variety Staff, Variety
The result is a flop.
– Full review
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
An almost perfect entertainment.
– Full review
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Mordaunt Hall, New York Times
This is by no means so good as Mr. Keaton's previous efforts.
– Full review
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Almar Haflidason, BBC
Newcomers will doubtless be surprised at the excellent pacing of the action.
– Full review
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[Keaton's films] have such a graceful perfection, such a meshing of story, character and episode, that they unfold like music.
– Full review
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