General [Blu-ray] [Import]

In 1927, the American silent film "The General", now known as one of the greatest films ever made, was released in theaters.

But the film starring silent film star Buster Keaton was not a big success in the box office, in fact it was a box office disaster and received negative critic reviews. But only until later would the film be seen as the ultimate classic film making it into the American Film Institute's top 100 films of all time (at #18) and was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 1989, the first year of the registry.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"The General" is presented in full-frame (1:33:1) and is color tinted.

I just have to say that this is the best version I have ever seen of "The General". The film was mastered in HD from a 35mm archive print struck from the original camera negative but having seen this film only on public domain video files which were never complete or had this awful fading in an out and just difficult to watch, this 1927 film looks absolutely incredible. Is it 100% pristine? No. There are white specks and occasional film wearing but for a film this old, this is expected.

If anything, I was just in awe of how incredible this film looks. The detail is amazing and the clarity, again...fantastic. As for the colors, the film has a sepia look while the night time shifts to a bluish tint (which I've read in silent film books was intentional at that time). But seriously, this is probably the best we will ever see this film for a long time.

As for the audio, KINO International gives us three optional scores to choose from. The choice is a symphony based soundtrack composed and conducted by Carl Davis and performed by the Thames Silents Orchestra (featured in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or uncompressed 2.0 Stereo). Also, included are previous scores used by "The General" in older releases by Robert Israel which was derived from traditional silent film utilizing a piano accompanied by strings and a theatre organ score by Lee Erwin recorded in Carnegie Hall and was used during the '70s theatrical issue of the film.

All three scores are well-done but during my viewing, I wanted to check out Carl Davis and the Thames Silent Orchestra and hear it in HD. The music was just crystal clear but most important is the fact that KINO International has given viewers a choice of musical score.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The General" comes with the following special features in 1080i:

* Video Tour of the General - (18:05) Historian and locomotive expert Harper Harris explains to the viewer of the actual story of the real people (William Pittenger, who also wrote the book that inspired the film "The General") involved and how Keaton wanted to use "The General" for his film but veterans were against it.
* The Buster Express - (5:47) Buster Keaton enjoyed trains and how it was used in his films. Pretty much a montage of trains used in Keaton films.
* Tour of Filming Locations - (4:29) John Bengston shows us the locations of where "The General" was filmed and how it looks like today.
* Home Movie Footage - (1:00) A short featurette from the onlookers who filmed Keaton and the crew on the set of "The General".
* Intro by Gloria Swanson - (2:13) Silent film star Gloria Swanson presents "The General" and talks a little about the film.
* Intro by Orson Welles - (12:21) Orson Welles talks about his friend Buster Keaton and introduces the film for a broadcast of Paul Killiam's "The Silent Years". Orson Welles talks about his memories of the film and Keaton and more.
* Photo Gallery - Using your remote, you can cycle through publicity stills, posters and photos.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"The General" is such a great pleasure to watch. Watching it today, even comparing to many of the greatest chase scenes of all time, "The General" is the action film of that era that still shocks us today. I'm quite surprised of how epic and historically accurate this film was. From hundreds of extras (500 extras from the Oregon National Guard) wearing Union and Confederate uniforms, Buster Keaton doing thrilling but very risky stunts and one of the most expensive action scene used in a silent film of a train falling from a collapsed bridge.

Sure, today we see Jackie Chan and others doing these amazing stunts but back in the 1920's, to see Keaton doing these stunts and considering the lack of support during that time or the lack of a double used for stunts, the man was seriously risking his life in the making of these films. But he made it look easy and fun, Keaton...was absolutely fearless.

KINO international has given fans of this film more than they probably expect but we are very grateful. "The General" has never looked this incredible and for many of us who have only seen worn out versions on VHS or terrible quality video public domain files, this Blu-ray release is just a sight to behold. To see such detail and clarity for this 1927 film or for a silent action film is incredible.

For those who are building their Blu-ray collection and want quality must-own films, "The General" should be in your collection. "The General" is a Buster Keaton masterpiece that is indeed one of the greatest films of all time.

The Blu-ray version of "The General" is highly recommended!

This is a remarkable blu-ray from Kino. The image is crystal clear without any digital hardness and the fine grain of the film is retained to boot. The various scores offered (Carl Davis' being first up on the list and the perfect one to listen to)and all the suppliments from the DVD edition are offered here. The simple menu design and the directness with which the blu-ray loads are all a sharp slap in the face to the majority of lesser films released in the format that have unbearably convoluted and tediously clever menus that load slowly and ultimately result in having to shuffle through endless onscreen paperwork.

THE GENERAL is a remarkable film, more epic even than GONE WITH THE WIND, it is truly not only one of the greatest silent films ever made, but one of the greatest American films ever made, despite whatever the idiot AFI might think (they left it off of their first 100 Greatest Films of All Time list, in fact not a single Buster Keaton film made it to that list, as well as Murnau's SUNRISE). This is action/adventure of the highest order, as thrilling as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and even better, for it's all really there - the dam breaking, the ensuing flood, the long tracking shots with the trains chasing each other, people running through fire and exploding shells, the collapsing bridge - all of it is done in real time before the camera, no minitures, no cgi. Outstanding film, very funny, and full of jaw-dropping sequences that are enacted for real. A Buster Keaton, and an American, masterpiece.

The General is an absolute comedy classic - even in front of a modern audience this movie draws more laughs than newer "comedies". If you aren't familiar with Buster Keaton this is a great place to start. His amazing athleticism and timing are on full display here, and the train scenes (basically the whole movie) are a veritable ballet.

As for the blu-ray itself, I've never seen the movie look better. You won't be using it as a demo disc for your system, but the detail and clarity are top notch. I consider this a must buy for a serious movie collector!