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100: Buster Keaton in “The General” (1926)
Description
It's our 100th episode!! And we have something extra special in mind to commemorate the occasion. We looked back 100 years to find a film that is widely considered one of the greatest silent films of all time - from 1926, it's Buster Keaton's masterpiece "The General".
A silent film where the biggest romantic rival is a locomotive sounds like a joke until Buster Keaton turns it into one of the most ambitious action comedies ever put on screen. It's a Civil War era train-chase epic that mixes breathtaking stunt work, meticulous visual storytelling, and a surprisingly dark sense of humor. We walk through why the premise is so clean and timeless: a railroad engineer loses the girl, loses the train, chases the train, and accidentally becomes a hero.
We also get honest about what makes "The General" complicated. A comedy about one of the most tragic events in American history? That was what Buster Keaton took on in 1926, and its a choice that baffled many audiences and critics on release, especially in an era when audiences expected war movies to be solemn and sentimental. The lukewarm reception had a prolonged effect on the great comic's career, and after the film’s messy rollout and the initial box office disappointment, Keaton's career began a slow but steady slide into near oblivion. The film's eventual re-evaluation and celebration by later generations is one of the most surprising and heartwarming stories in Hollywood history, and the long turnaround eventually put "The General" alongside the most celebrated movies ever preserved and praised.
If you love classic Hollywood, silent cinema, or practical stunts that modern CGI cannot replace, press play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a rating and review so more film fans can find the next hundred.
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