It has been over 100 years and Buster Keaton’s “The General” still feels dangerous.
Released in 1926 and inspired by actual events (the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War… look it up), “The General” was Keaton’s most ambitious production: an enormous action comedy built around real locomotives, real locations, extraordinary physical stunts, and one of the most spectacular train wrecks ever put on film.
And almost none of it worked the way Hollywood expected.
The film struggled upon its original release and helped bring an end to Keaton’s remarkable period of creative independence. Decades later, it would be rediscovered and recognized by an unlikely hero as one of the masterpieces of the silent era… and one of the greatest action comedies ever made.
In this episode of Film History Network, we look at the making of the film, the true Civil War story that inspired it, Keaton’s astonishing approach to visual comedy, and how a movie once considered a disappointment became one of the defining achievements of American cinema.
Before CGI, before stunt doubles became an industry, and before action movies became a genre unto themselves… Buster Keaton put a camera beside a railroad track and shot the damn thing for real. We’re grateful he did.
source
