The General Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The General Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 20, 2017

Buster Keaton's "The General" (1927) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include archival introductions by Orson Welles and Gloria Swanson; archival raw footage from the shooting of the film; filming locations featurette; exclusive new program featuring film historian Peter Kramer; and more. The release also arrives with a 60-page book featuring a new essay by Philip Kemp; notes on each film; archival writings; Buster Keaton family scrapbook, archival images; and more. Region-B "locked".

The fearless man

A good friend of mine used to insist that Jan de Bont’s Speed exists only because of Buster Keaton’s The General. Of course it was a pretty silly joke and I don’t know of any legit connection between the two, but there might actually be a little bit of truth in it because The General really is one of those monumental trendsetters that in the grand scheme of things is impossible not to consider an inspirational film. If you look closely -- and then even closer -- I guarantee you will find plenty in The General that throughout the years countless directors across the world have copied in their films. It is just astonishing what Keaton and everyone else that worked on The General were able to accomplish with what now plenty of people would rightfully consider ‘primitive equipment’.

The Civil War breaks out while Johnny Gray (Keaton) is spending time with the beautiful Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack) in Marietta, Georgia. Johnny is the first in line to enlist in the Confederate Army, but when he tells the clerk that he is a train engineer his application is instantly rejected because he would be much more valuable with a box of tools than with a rifle in his hands. Determined not to disappoint Annabelle and her family Johnny tries to outsmart the clerk and sign up under a different name, but promptly gets booted from the recruiting center. Johnny’s humiliating failure just about destroys his relationship with Annabelle as she angrily announces that she does not want to see him again without a uniform.

Fastforward. Union spies hijack The General, Johnny’s favorite locomotive, which will be used to destroy crucial bridges and supply stations that are controlled by the Confederate Army. During the operation, Annabelle is also kidnapped. Johnny then instantly vows to reclaim The General and free the girl of his dreams.

The General is truly one giant feast for the eyes. Some of the material in it is so ambitious and also so dangerous that is hard to even begin to imagine the type of coordination and precision that was needed to get it right while the camera was rolling. Remember this when you sit down to watch the film: there are no special effects here, it is all human skills and imagination that are responsible for the magic.

Keaton of course is extraordinary here, which is why many consider The General to be his finest work. The endless brilliant facial expressions and the seemingly casual but incredibly accurate movement reveal a genius at the top of his game, a true visionary whose talent was matched only by that of the iconic Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd.

*This new release of The General is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film that was completed by Cohen Media in the United States. It is included in this three-disc box set, together with Sherlock, Jr. (1924) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928).

The General Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.32:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The General arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from Cohen Media's 4K restoration of The General which is not yet available on Blu-ray in the United States. I think that if you have already seen Kino Video's release of the film you will find that the restoration offers some pretty substantial improvements in terms of definition, depth, clarity and fluidity. In fact, there are various parts of the film where the improvements are so dramatic that it actually feels like a veil of some sort has been lifted. During the big attack towards the end of the film, for instance, there are panoramic shots that now have detail that is simply missing on the older master (see screencapture #5). Elsewhere there are basic close-ups that also reveal drastically better delineation and clarity. Also, the new restoration provides better overall balance, with a more convincing gray scale and generally more natural ranges of nuances. My one and only minor criticism pertains to the presence of some sporadic flatness which appears to have been introduced during the restoration process. I assume that it is a byproduct of some type of rebalancing/grain management work because where the film looks very healthy -- with proper density and no visible traces of source deterioration -- balance is actually very convincing (you can see a very good example in screencapture #10). The rest I think looks very good and with convincing organic qualities on display. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The General Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The film has original English intertitles

The film is presented with Carl Davis' original score, which the lossless track handles very well. The audio has great depth and clarity, and balance is outstanding. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The General Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Orson Welles - presented here is an archival filmed introduction by Orson Welles. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Introduction by Gloria Swanson - presented here is an archival filmed introduction by Gloria Swanson. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Home Movie Footage - archival raw footage from the shooting of The General. Silent. (1 min).

• Video Tour of The General - in this archival featurette, locomotive expert Harper Harris takes a closer at real General and discusses the shooting of Buster Keaton's legendary film. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Filming Locations Featurette - in this archival featurette, John Bengston, author of Silent Echoes, discusses some of the locations in Oregon where The General was shot. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Interview with Peter Kramer - in this new video program, film historian Peter Kramer discusses the production history of The General and Buster Keaton's illustrious life and legacy. The program was created exclusively for Eureka Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (40 min).

• Book - 60-page book featuring a new essay by Philip Kemp; notes on each film; archival writings; Keaton Family Scrapbook, a selection of Keaton family photographs generously supplied by friends of the Keaton family and a stunning array of archival images

The General Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eureka Entertainment's new release of Buster Keaton's The General is sourced from Cohen Media's recent 4K restoration of the film. I think that it is a very good restoration that offers some pretty dramatic improvements in quality that make viewing this classic film an even more special experience. The release is included in this three-disc box set, together with Sherlock, Jr. and Steamboat Bill, Jr.. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.