Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavander, Jim Farley, Joseph Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, Tom Lewis, Ann Cornwall, Florence Turner, Flora Bramley, Harold Goodwin, Snitz Edwards

Director: Clyde Bruckman

Summary: Disc 1 features 'The General' which sees a young railroad engineer prevented from enlisting in the Confederate Army because of his profession. Also two short films: 'Cops' and 'The Balloonatics'. Disc 2 features 'Steamboat Bill Jr' which sees the son of a riverboat captain fall in love with a rival's daughter. Includes 'The Boat'. Disc 3 features 'College' which is centered around life on a college campus. Also includes 'The Blacksmith' and 'One Week'. Silent, restored and remastered.

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Buster Keaton's 1926 masterpiece The Generalshows the great stone-faced comedian at the height of his powers. Buster is a train driver from the South who's caught up in the American Civil War. The film is basically an extended chase, with trains pursuing each other up the track. The level of stuntwork (including a huge train wreck) has to be seen to be believed, but it's the deftness and elegance of Keaton's comedy that is ultimately most memorable. For many, Buster Keaton is the greatest comedian of the silent era rated even above Chaplin, and College(1927) is one of his finest films. A poor student who has to work his way through college, Buster is desperate to win the attention of a pretty girl so takes up sports. Through every disaster, the great "stone face" as he was nicknamed betrays not a flicker of emotion, enduring all humiliations with aplomb. Collegeshows Keaton at the top of his form. Steamboat Bill Jrdates from 1928 and is the last great film Buster Keaton made before he gave up his independence. Buster is the rather fey son of an elderly steamboat owner who is being driven out of business by a wealthy competitor. More by accident than intention Buster turns things around and gets the girl as well. The last 15 minutes are truly astonishing: a storm sequence in which a whole town is blown apart, with Buster experiencing a series of amazing escapes as buildings fall down around his ears. Tragically, the following year he lost his independence when he signed for MGM. His career collapsed, his marriage broke up and he became an alcoholic, never to regain former glories.

On the DVD:The organ music accompanying this silent feature is pleasantly unobtrusive, and apart from a short section in the middle where it deteriorates, the print quality is a reasonable 4.3. In addition there are five excellent Keaton shorts, One Week(1920), The Boat(1921) Cops(1922), The Blacksmith(1922) and The Balloonatic(1923). --Ed Buscombe

Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Bonus Shorts- 1. COPS, 2. THE BALLOONATICS, Bonus Short - 1. THE BOAT, Bonus Shorts - 1. THE BLACKSMITH, 2. ONE WEEK
Year:	1926
Release Date:	October 8, 2001
Runtime:	321 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E K A 50004
Keywords:	Collection, Bill, Comedy, Films, Box, General, Buster, Keaton, College, Three, Set, Jr, Discs, Steamboat
Genre:	Comedy