The General Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD

Buster Keaton was arguably the greatest comedian of the silent era and certainly one of the funniest and most talented performers to ever work in the movie business. The Generalis his masterpiece: co-directed, co-written, co-produced and starring Keaton, it is a side-splitting document of a comedy genius at the peak of his powers and boasts some of the finest slapstick set pieces ever committed to film.

Western & Atlantic Railroad train engineer Johnnie Gray (Keaton) loves two things: his sweetheart Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack) and his prized locomotive, The General. When the Civil War breaks out, Johnnie intends to enlist in the Confederate Army, but is rejected – ending his budding relationship with Annabelle. As the war rages on, though, spies working for the Union steal Johnnie’s beloved engine and inadvertently kidnap Annabelle, leading him to doggedly pursue them both across enemy lines.

Featuring what is perhaps the most thrilling chase sequence ever committed to film, The General is a perennial classic and stands with the very finest examples of silent comedy, including Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! and Keaton’s own Sherlock Jr. The Masters of Cinema Series is honoured to present The General on 4K UHD for the first time in the UK.

LIMITED EDITION 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES*:

• Limited Edition of 2,000 copies
• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring package design by Nick Wrigley
• Limited edition booklet featuring archival material and essays by critic Philip Kemp and animator Richard Haynes
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation from a 4K digital restoration, presented in a new and exclusive Dolby Vision HDR (HDR 10 compatible) grade |
• Score by Carl Davis
• New audio commentary by film historian David Kalat
• New video essay on The General by Imogen Sara Smith, author of Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy (2008)
• New video essay on locomotives in the films of Buster Keaton by film critic and editor Luke Ryan
• Interview with film scholar Peter Kramer
• Introduction by Orson Welles
• Introduction by Gloria Swanson
• Tour of Filming Locations featurette
• Video Tour archival featurette
• Home movie footage
• * All extras subject to change

PRESS

“one of the funniest, most ingenious, and gosh-darn exciting films you will ever see in your long and happy life” – Silent London

“Mad Max: Fury Road of the silent era” – Filmspotting

“The film boasts the most sustained passages of virtuoso slapstick genius Keaton ever shot…”– Daily Telegraph

“Buster Keaton's timeless 1926 silent The General is the perfect chase movie…See it and gasp” - Time Out

“In these times when all risk is assumed by CGI effects, Keaton’s squealing funny, exquisitely timed, death-defying leaps are all the more breathtaking” - The Times