The General
Featuring live piano accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis and a post-screening Q&A with Slate film critic and author Dana Stevens, moderated by Ty Burr.
Dana Stevens’s new book Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century, will be for sale after the screening, courtesy of Brookline Booksmith.
“One of the great films of all time, one of my favorites.” — Orson Welles
Many critics consider Buster Keaton’s The General to be the last great comedy of the silent era, and it consistently ranks as one of the greatest comedies of all time on international critics’ polls.
Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is also an authentic-looking period piece that brings the scope and realism of Matthew Brady-like images to brilliant life. Keaton portrays engineer Johnnie Gray, rejected by the Confederate Army and thought a coward by his girlfriend (Marion Mack). When a band of Union soldiers penetrate Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in pursuit. Seven of the film's eight reels are devoted to the chase, featuring hilarious comedy and amazing stunts performed by Keaton himself.
About Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens has been Slate’s film critic since 2006. She is also a cohost of the magazine’s long-running culture podcast, Culture Gabfest, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Bookforum. She lives with her family in New York. Camera Man is her first book. You can follow her on Twitter @TheHighSign.
