Most people are not inclined to watch silent films. To a point, this is understandable--movies wouldn't have become what they have, or have had their longevity, if they had remained deprived of sound. But anyone with even a cursory knowledge of film has seen multiple great scenes carried out wordlessly. And silent comedy is, if approached with an open mind, surprisingly accessible and entertaining, especially when performed by a genius like Buster Keaton. The stunts performed by Keaton in The General (and his other films) are remarkable, and real. There is a sense of timing and an appreciation for the demanding calculus that heightens the enjoyment in watching Keaton's misguided engineer wend his way unwittingly through Civil War battlelines. The graceful, inventive visuals mesmeriz... |
Rating of
4/4 |
