Buster Keaton's classic -- dare I say epic? -- silent comedy The General (1927) has just received a sterling DVD release from New York's Kino Video ($30). I can't recommend a better stocking-stuffer for your friendly film buff.

The movie is based on a true Civil War incident in which Union soldiers hijacked a Southern locomotive and tried to drive it up north. The raid failed when two Southern train conductors caught the raiders.

In Keaton's version of the story, he's Johnnie Gray, a Georgia train engineer who's as willing to enlist in the war as anyone. But the recruiter won't enlist Johnnie because he is of more use to the South as an engineer than as a soldier. Sadly, Johnnie's girlfriend Annabelle (Marion Mack) and her family assume that Johnnie is a coward. Annabelle tells Johnnie she never wants to speak to him again "until you're wearing a uniform." But when Johnnie's train is hijacked by the Northerners, his heroism eventually gets the both the train and Annabelle back home (while he's wearing a Northern soldier's hijacked uniform, as per Annabelle's wish).

Keaton said he wanted the movie to be "so authentic it hurts," and the movie does indeed look like a Civil War photo come to life. The movie's plotting is wonderfully symmetrical, as Johnnie becomes a hero by pulling the same tricks on the Northerners as they had previously pulled on him. And Keaton spared no personal effort either, constantly jumping on, off, over, and on top of a moving train and making it look as effortless as riding a bike.

Neglected for decades, The General was re-discovered by film buffs in the 1950's and earned its rightful place as a movie classic. It was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1989.

The Kino print is newly restored and has three separate musical soundtracks to enjoy. It also includes a one-shot, one-of-a-kind TV intro from Orson Welles, who puts down both Charlie Chaplin and Gone with the Wind by way of expressing his love for the movie.

The General was one of the costliest movies of its time -- including the single most expensive shot in silent-film history, when a bridge that Johnnie has sabotaged sinks a Northern train. But unlike many of today's brain-dead blockbusters, every dollar of Keaton's budget is up on the screen. The General is worthy movie-watching just for its sheer spectacle; the laughs are icing on the cake.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8