I'd watch "The Cameraman" over this any day. It just wasn't that funny, though I'm not sure it was supposed to be.
shareIt doesn't have the most laughs of a Keaton film, but overall, it's a great one.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/29/list-top-15-civil-war- movies/
Great film. You don't have to be fond of it, but there's no denying how well-made a film it was for its time.
...is the problem you're allergic to a well familiar name?
Hardly laugh-out-loud funny, but most of the comedy is nevertheless well timed and ultimately various degrees of effective. Some rather imaginative gags as well as decent action in this largely amusing mucking about; however, I really have no clue as to what´s so awesome about it that would inspire praise like Orson Welles allegedly claiming it to be the best comedy - and the best Civil War movie - ever filmed. Good film, but hardly amazing.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
It happens to be my all time favorite movie, and I've seen about 4,000 at my current age of 32. It's a film that has grown in my estimation over time. When I first saw it I ranked it between 50-60 on my "Top 100", but that was back in 1997 when I had seen a mere fraction of the films I've seen today. MANY of the films on that old Top 100 are long gone now.
Dozens of my favorite films as a young teenager (Evil Dead 2, Total Recall, Dances With Wolves, etc.) have been DIMINISHED as I've aged and seen more films. The more films we see the more perspective we gain from which to observe OTHER films. The shocking thing about The General for me was that it always GREW in my estimation instead of dwindling away. After I saw 1,000 films, then 2k, then 3k, and so forth...the movie just impressed me MORE as my knowledge of film grew, not less.
This is not to say that anyone else need share my view, it's merely an opinion. Still, it's not one I make lightly and it took me a good thirteen years before I knew The General was my #1. I am not out to skewer anyone else's opinion either, but at least I can look at your Top 10 franzkabuki (I checked out your profile) and say, "I've seen them all, and I would take The General over any of them."
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I really don't 'get' this film.. I thought it was ok, and I get that it was quite an achievement in film making for it's time but I really don't understand why it's considered 'a great'. I often wonder whether people rate these silent movies so highly because it makes them feel cleverer than those of us who don't get it so I would be interested in hearing specifically what those who rate it highly enjoyed about it.. I enjoyed it more than Metropolis but I just find myself frustrated that I struggle to understand the plot without any dialogue and everything takes twice as long to happen than it would do in real life because they have to act it out
share"The General" is not my favorite Keaton film, nor is it hilarious as a comedy, but I do find it a great film and quite an achievement for its time. It works best to me as something of a marvel of technique; the set-ups and the elaborate nature of the whole thing. It was obviously a labor of love and there is a warmth that comes through in the whole thing. I also find its a film that grows on you with each viewing. Its also just about the perfect length - one thing about most silents is that they didn't overstay their welcome, which is a major sin of current movies!
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