The movie The General set during the Civil War tells the unlikely story of a train engineer, rejected by the military with no obvious combat skills or training, winning a battle and become an officer in the Confederate Army.
What is the film telling us about the armed forces, about war and about the values of the military? Does the film promote the military or is it a satire -- and if so, how biting is the criticism? What is war good for?
In the film The General, there's a lot of poking fun at different groups, namely the main character and the situation he finds himself in. Despite being such a serious topic (the American Civil War) it still finds a way to make it fun and enjoyable to watch and it paints its protagonist in a way that makes him easy to root for, despite his association with the Confederacy. Because of this ease and constant satire, it's clear to see that the movie wishes to represent the idea of war in a satirical light. We are introduced to the movie's idea of war from the very beginning of the film with the incoming message of war and the main character's struggles to enter the very serious and foreboding army. His inability to join ruins his reputation, making those around him see him as a traitor. This overcast veil, however, is completely shattered once we see both the union and the confederate armies in action. They are, for lack of better words, completely incompetent in every way possible. Their intelligence is questionable, their physical ability is saddening, and overall they act like complete fools. They were unable to fix the tracks which the engineer fixed within moments of encountering the problem, 4 or 5 people were taken down by a single person with a piece of wood. Even the main character, to an extent, especially at the end of the film, after joining the army and becoming a lieutenant, is not shown to be capable. This depiction of high ranking officers and their soldiers, especially in comparison to their fellow people, presents the belief that armies, and to a greater extent war as a whole, as nonsense and tomfoolery.
ReplyDeleteThe film The General, a movie about a train engineer who gets into funny situations during the civil war, pokes fun at war but also makes joining the army something that seemingly all men should do. It pokes fun at war by creating funny situations – even during times of battle. For example, there is a scene where the two sides (the Union and the Confederates) were fighting around a river, and Johnnie Gray (the train engineer and main character) is messing around but trying to fit in. During the battle, he tries to help fire a cannon, but the three soldiers who knew what they were doing are shot by a sniper, and Johnnie kills the sniper by accidentally throwing the blade of his sword off its hilt. There are countless other scenes like these, where the main character is more successful by doing things accidentally and being incompetent than the ‘competent’ soldiers doing what they were trained to do. War is made out to be some normal, funny event by being cast in this humorous light. Joining the army is also sort of promoted, as almost every man seen in the movie is a soldier or wants to be a soldier. In fact, Johnnie’s reputation is ruined and the person he loves shuns him just because he couldn’t get into the army. In this movie, war is just another way to make jokes, although the movie could be used as Confederate propaganda to inspire others to join the army.
ReplyDeleteThe General is a 1926 silent comedy film by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman. Buster Keaton stars as Johnnie Gray, a railroad engineer who is rejected from joining the Confederate Army because he is seen as more important in helping construct railroads. He follows a train full of Union Soldiers and Annabelle Lee, the woman he loves, into the North, and ends up unintentionally making significant contributions to the war. He ends up being the hero by returning the train and Annabelle Lee to the South. The film pokes fun at the idea of war and the military. When fleeing the North, he warps the railroad track where the train switches tracks, and the Union army generals struggle to figure out how to fix it. After their hopeless efforts, all that it takes for the railroad to be repaired is the engineer to hit it once with an axe, suggesting that the rankings are ineffective and that is unable to recognize the talents of an individual worker. The film also creates humor in out of something that is typically regarded as serious: war. For example, Johnnie is standing near a group of men who are firing cannons at the enemy. A hidden enemy shoots all of the men, and just Johnnie is left to tend to the cannon. Johnnie points his sword into the distance, giving orders, and his sword blade falls off and kills the hidden enemy. He then accidentally fires the cannon straight into the air, which instead of landing on him, lands on the dam and floods the area where the other enemies were shooting from, giving the South the advantage. The lighthearted, comedic approach to war in this film changes the movie to a comedy rather than a traditional, serious war movie.
ReplyDeleteThe film The General is a silent comedy directed and starring Buster Keaton set in 1926 during the civil war, that portrays soldiers as simple-minded, by showing many comedic scenes of a basic engineer, Johnny Gray played by Buster Keaton, outmaneuvering these highly trained soldiers. At the start of the film Jonny Gray is rejected from joining the army and is looked at with disappointment by his girlfriend, which set up the storyline of him redeeming himself, but it also showed that he would have much less skill than a group of soldiers. A big example of The General portraying soldiers as idiotic is when Johnny Gray is hiding underneath the table with officers surrounding him for a while without noticing. Later in this scene, Johnny is able to knock out multiple soldiers with ease and escape. With Johnny’s lack of experience and skill, this shows that The General is showing how easy it is to outwit these soldiers. Although this film shows how a basic engineer with a lack of experience can outwit soldiers, there is no evidence to suggest that this film is making fun of all soldiers, instead, it is making fun of the north’s soldiers. During the short time that the film shows the Confederate soldiers, they manage to win their battle, and when they are in the war, they show the Confederate soldiers doing their job properly, which they wouldn’t have shown if they were trying to make all soldiers look poorly. In conclusion, Buster Keaton makes a statement through this film that Union soldiers were much less capable than Confederates.
ReplyDeleteBuster Keaton's 1926 "The General" is a highly revered silent comedy following Johnny, a Civil War train engineer on a mission to save his girlfriend from Northern enemy forces. Despite depicting the bloodiest conflict in United States history, "The General" belittles the somberness of armed conflict while showing a romantic story that glorifies the war effort. At the beginning of the movie, we see the first signs indicating its satirical attitude towards war. Johnny, who wants to join the army to become worthy for his girlfriend's hand in marriage, makes a fool out of himself in the drafting booth. The gag has him faking his identity, stealing cards from other candidates, and tricking the officials to earn his way into the fight. Not only does this scene start the movie with a lighthearted attitude towards the individuals who are potentially being sent to their deaths, but it also depicts an eagerness towards joining the war that many at the time likely would not have had. Later in the film, we see a battle between the Union and Confederate soldiers that follows this theme of unimportance towards warfare. In the scene, Johnny tries to act as the general and command the Confederate soldiers. After multiple of Johnny's men are killed by a Union sniper, he waves his sword and the blade coincidentally hits the enemy soldier. The movie places no emphasis on the loss of the soldiers, either to Johnny, who finds their deaths aggravating, or to the viewer, who is focused on the humorous facial expressions of the protagonist. There seems to be no gravity to the situation, which implies that the film both does not portray the horrors of war accurately, and does not take itself seriously, opting to find comedy in the situation. Buster Keaton's seminal silent movie too often glorifies themes of war or includes comical material to be considered a serious depiction of warfare, and it shows the views of the time regarding praise armed conflict and the nobility of fighting.
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ReplyDeleteThe General is a seminal silent film by Buster Keaton that displays armed forces and the war against the Confederate and the Union. However, the film reflects the comedic attitude of the time and uses satire to portray the conflict in a humorous light. The movie does not make any serious attempts to criticize the Confederate army but uses its story to poke fun at the conventions and stereotypes during the war. For example, the protagonist Johnnie is shown trying to enlist in the army after his love interest displays her affection for those who enroll. However, after being rejected by the military, he is embarrassingly shown trying his best to reenlist in many different ways. In addition to being hilarious, this scene also helps to illustrate the stereotype of how it was seen as manly when you enlisted in the army, making fun of how many people try to enlist to be seen in a certain way. Furthermore, throughout the film, Johnnie is presented as a dumb idiot, whether it be the scene where he is shoveling sand under the train tracks, and it begins to steam away, not to his knowledge, or his unexpected spot underneath the Union soldier's table. This lighthearted treatment of the conflict shows its absurdity and the folly of those participating in it. Overall, The General is a film meant to be satirical and comedic, with its primary goal of making fun of stereotypes during those times, not promoting the military.
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ReplyDeleteThe 1927 Buster Keaton film, The General, is a satirical take on the events of the war, and it is criticizing the military. Buster Keaton plays the main character, Johnnie Gray, who is originally rejected from enlisting in the army because he is more valuable at his current occupation, which is a railroad engineer. The movie plays into the social construct of the need for men to be masculine, and it is heavily emphasized and praised in the film. Johnnie feels defeated because he believes he is too weak or not masculine enough to be enlisted, but in reality, it is because he has important strengths elsewhere. Throughout the film, Johnnie is seen doing unintentional things that end up being very beneficial for the South's military agenda. Johnnies actions are shown in a comical sense, and because of how he is presented, with his lack of knowledge of anything about the war and his general obliviousness to things going on around him, the fact that he is seen to be a heroic figure in the war is a way to make fun of the military and its values. Johnnie Gray has no intention of participating in the war, he just wants to save his girlfriend, yet he leads the enemies to an ambush and washes away their troops with an accidental shot that blew up a dam. His heroic actions are accidents, and he gets rewarded and promoted for them. His character's unseen stupidity being praised is a criticism of the military's values at the time.
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ReplyDelete"The General," directed by and starring Buster Keaton, uses humor to comment on the American Civil War and criticize the Union Army. The 1927 silent film follows the character of Johnnie Gray, a Confederate railroad engineer who sets out on a mission to save his beloved train and kidnapped girlfriend after they’re stolen by Union soldiers. On his journey, Johnnie maneuvered around obstacles, northern troops, and dangerous terrain. Against all odds, Johnnie finally manages to retrieve his lover, Annabelle Lee, and also saves the day for the Confederate army. The film starts with Johnnie being rejected by the Confederate army due to his valuable skills as an engineer; which highlights the idea that men's ultimate duty is to become soldiers. This sets the tone for the film's comedic criticism of the Union army, as Johnnie's encounters with the Union are almost absurd. The first half of the film mostly consists of Johnnie pursuing the Union by train, overcoming obstacles such as train cars being detached, traps, and roadblocks set by the Union. He eventually turns the tables and uses these same tactics against the Union while fleeing. One particularly ridiculous scene involves Johnnie bending a railway, making it so the Union’s train cannot proceed further. They relentlessly attempt to fix the railroad, and after a significant amount of time, the engineer comes out and swiftly returns the railroad track with ease. The Union's attempt to fix the railway is portrayed as foolish, and the scene is meant to ridicule their intelligence. Johnnie seems to escape the Union by sheer luck, such as accidentally knocking down the wall of a train car that blocks the Union’s train, mistakingly incapacitating a soldier with a log while turning around, and misfiring a canon ball that ends up winning the final battle. For all these ‘feats’ he’s promoted to lieutenant, which satirizes the idea that even the most foolish people can achieve a high rank. Overall, through Johnnie’s character and his endeavors with the Union, Buster Keaton creates a mockery of the Civil War and the Union Army.
ReplyDeleteThe General satirizes the entire idea of the military, but not in an overly disrespectful way. The film is there to be a comedy, but with the addition of being based around war, which is an overly grim and oppressing subject matter. It has a comedic take on war, and makes fun of the tropes in the military (saluting an officer, using a sword, etc) but it doesn't devalue these actions by making fun of them. Unlike most modern movies, it doesn't have a political agenda or a side to pick. Sure, it takes place from the point of view of the Confederacy, but both sides are equally clowned on for the sake of comedy. It doesn't actively tackle the issues and repercussions of war, but instead uses it as a means to an end, that end being to get with a girl. It might be making commentary on the fact that the military and the seriousness around it is absurd, since throughout the film, soldiers will often make fools of themselves in the actions they make. Actions aren't glorified, as whenever they are they are either brought about by dumb luck (breaking the dam with the misplaced cannon shot) or are overshadowed by something comedic (saluting scene at the end of the movie). Overall, this movie functions as a pure satire of the military, only taking small digs and jabs at the military and the idea of the Civil War for laughs. At no point does it show a scathing critique of the military, but instead small pokes and jabs at the concepts engrained in the military.
ReplyDeleteThe movie The General is a unique take on the Civil War, as it tells the story of a train engineer, Johnnie Gray, who is rejected by the military due to the need of train engineers elsewhere. Despite this, he is able to out smart/ get blatantly lucky and win a battle against the Union thus earning him a spot as officer in the Confederate Army. The film is telling us a few things about the armed forces, war, and the values of the military. First, the film is showing us that the military is not always looking for the most qualified individuals to join their ranks. Johnnie Gray is a prime example of this, as he is able to prove himself and become an officer despite his lack of combat experience. This is a reminder that the military is looking for individuals who are willing to fight for their country, regardless of their background or experience. The film also shows us that war is not always about winning or losing. Johnnie Gray is able to win a battle, but only in honor of a girl. This is a reminder that war is not just about winning or losing, but also about one's personal wants and needs. Finally, the film is showing us the values of the military. Johnnie Gray is able to prove himself to be a brave and loyal soldier, despite his lack of experience. This shows that the military values loyalty and bravery above all else, and that these qualities are essential for any soldier. The General is not necessarily a satire, but it does have some biting criticism of the military. For example, the film shows us that the military is not always looking for the most qualified individuals to join their ranks, and that war is not always about winning or losing. However, the film also shows us the values of the military, and how loyalty and bravery are essential for any soldier.
ReplyDeleteThe movie "The General" tells a heroic tale of the military. Although "The General" maybe a satirical film in its whole, the film also highlights a very important aspect of the armed forces - tenacity. In the beginning of the war, when the South lost, the Southern troops did not just retreat and disband, it drew up new conscripts, made new camps, became more experienced. They did not give up, even though at the time of a defeat that looks easy and even correct. The same could be said for the Union troops. Although they did look hilarious, the Union troops continued to try to fix the railroad tracks when Buster Keaton's character destroyed them. This shows tenacity and the willingness to continue trying to save the railroad even in the time of seeming doom. However, more examples show up in the final combat. While the union troops are retreating, a lone sniper stays behind and picks off artillerymen. While this is happening, and the artillerymen see their friends die, they still attempt to reload the artillery cannon. This tenacity under fire is a clear example of the respect and trust that the military deserves - even as the shells and bullets whizz past them, the individual soldiers keep their cool and continue firing, attempting to protect their version of the homeland. This is a clear example of how the movie promotes the military.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the final question is an interesting one - what is war good for? The answer I think is nothing. Having defensive measures is clearly shown, and promoting the military is evident in the film "The General", but war tore families apart. After all, Buster Keaton's girlfriend almost left him for another man when he "didn't" conscript, and hundreds of people throughout the film lost their lives. Public infrastructure that is the key to connecting communities and people, including railroads and carts, were destroyed, native wildlife ruined, and an entire dam destroyed. It becomes clear that war is good for nothing - it uproots communities, ruins lives, and tears families apart. Although the military plays an important role and is promoted in the film "the General", it clearly shows that war, on the other hand, is unnecessary.