The General – 1926

• 2021/12/14

Charlie Chaplin is our shared reference when it comes to madcap silent film shenanigans, but chances are Buster Keaton’s legacy has been just as important, if not greater. In this bonkers Civil War adventure, Keaton’s wild stunts – many of which you’d be hard pressed to replicate today – create and instantly perfect a type of slapstick that has informed every successful physical comedy since. Not only do you get to witness the first fluent expression of the grammar later found in the animated films ranging from Tom and Jerry, Tex Avery, all the way to Rick and Morty today, but you get to do so while engrossed in a compelling adventure that, nearly 100 years on, is still a hoot, and one of the greatest comedies ever made.