Buster Keaton's "The General"

[ITG]

Last night I had the pleasure of going to watch the 1920s Buster Keaton silent film "The General" on a large screen with a live soundtrack provided by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and a pianist who improved on the piano throughout the movie. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was lots more funny than any Chaplin film I've seen. I would highly recommend this film to anyone, as I found myself laughing more than I would during an I LOVE LUCY episode.

 

[shamus]

I think it's one of his best. Especially the picture of train in his house cracks me up even today just thinking about it.

A side note: The locomotive that goes over the bridge was a real one, not a miniature! Talk about a one take on that one.

 

[ITG]

Can you imagine the clean up and man power involved to clean that set up when the train goes off the bridge?!!?!!!??

 

[shamus]

I'm guessing they just left it there.

 

[ITG]

Goodness, I hope not.

 

[shamus]

The scene in which The Texas crashes through the bridge was the single most expensive shot of the entire silent movie era. The Texas itself remained in the river until WWII, when it was salvaged for scrap iron.

Just saw this on IMDB

 

[ITG]

Thanks for the info. Wow! Enviromentalists today would have a cow with that if it happened today. Well, I'm glad the train wasn't a total waist since it was used for scrap metal.