The General

1926-made "The General" and how it overcomes technical lacks
For this review, I will look into the 1926 film "The General" which is co-directed by Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton and starring Keaton himself, Marion Mack and Glen Cavender. Although this silent comedy film did not receive much acclaim both critically and commercially at the time of its release, it gained repute in the eyes of more contemporary critics and viewers. Here, I will look into the theme of the film, the setting
The barely 80-minute film tells the story of a young man single-handedly recovering his stolen train and winning the respect and love of her ladylove in the height of the American Civil War. Done in the nascent years of the cinema, the film is set in black and white and the technical aspects were not yet as refined as the cinema of the later years. Still, the film made up for this forgivable lack by pouncing on its comic appeal and the superb crafting of fundamental filming techniques.
The theme of the film is centered on the guile of man and his ability to persist even in the face of direst times. Johnnie Gray (Keaton) suddenly found his beloved train taken away from him by Northern forces who were able to infiltrate the opposing forces. Incidentally, stuck in the train which the Northerners obtained is Annabelle (Mack), the woman Johnnie is smitten of but refused him upon knowing that he did not enlist in the Southern army. Thus begun the topsy-turvy attempt of Johnnie to reclaim not just his train but also the admiration and affection Annabelle once profess to him. He found himself dodging all danger and potentials of death before finally succeeding and officially becoming a soldier. He went after the Northern soldiers while his comrades easily surrendered. He had to outwit the Northerners especially with their similarly clever attempts to foil him. Upon arriving at the North, he had to assume a false personality just to save Annabelle and make the both of them leave the place and head back to the South. Through the entire crucible, Johnnie were able to emerge victorious, but not without the aid of his slyness and acute thinking.
The setting of the film is just apt for the mood and the plot of the movie. Perhaps not yet influenced by the school of thought advocating artificial locales in film as additional artistic element to play around with, the movie was apparently shot in actual locales. From the Southern homes to the forest up North where Johnnie followed to save Annabelle, and most especially the scenes in the train spanning long durations, the setting downplays any sense of fantasy. In fact, despite the tendency of th...