The General (1926)
(Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, US 1926, 67 min., 35mm)
Rejected by the Confederate army as unfit, and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee, young Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) sets out to single-handedly win the war with the help of his cherished locomotive, “The General.” Insisting on accuracy in every detail, Keaton creates a remarkably authentic historical epic, complete with hundreds of costumed extras, full-scale sets, and the breathtaking plunge of an actual locomotive from a burning bridge into a river. A Keaton personal favorite, The General finds the deadpan slapstick master as the hapless and unassuming hero of the Civil War. Hilarious, chaotic, and unpredictable at every turn. The film reached #95 on Sight and Sound magazine's list of The Greatest Films of All Time.
Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli.