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One of the greatest comics of any era, Buster Keaton was one of the true shining stars of the silent age, earning himself the monicker The Great Stone Face. He was equally well known for his death-defying stunts (at a time when stunts really were death-defying!), standing still as buildings and props weighing many tons collapsed around him - one inch too far out and he would have been dead. This collection features two of his greatest films from the silent era, The General and Steamboat Bill Jr, together with one of his earliest talkies, which saw him alongside Jimmy Durante as the studio tried to create a double act - Buster Keaton was a unique act and worked best alone.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The movie may be great, and I bought this because I think it is - but this version seems to have someone's dodgy idea of what silent movie music is all about. A generic honky tonk tune plays over the film with absolutely no reference to what is happening on screen, and randomly stops and starts a different tune without relevance or atmosphere. War is declared? A happy tune is playing. They are sitting calmly in a parlour? A fast tune is playing. I had to turn it off after 5 minutes and am planning to dispose of it in some way. I only wish I could find the version I saw growing up which we had taped from the TV. If you love Buster Keaton, then this should hurt you deeply as it manages to pull all the life out of the film.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A brilliant classic such as this deserves far better than the shoddy presentation afforded "The General" by Elstree Hill Entertainment, a fly-by-night rip-off outfit who should be ashamed of themselves. The print is horrible, the honky-tonk musak even worse. Avoid this version like the plague!
17 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This boxed set is excellent: contains Buster Keaton's greatest films and therefore is recommended as a very long festivity of fun ! "The most deeply silent of silent comedians" and his face (like Lincoln's) became an American Archetype, almost beautiful and irreducibly funny. Also he looks like a sad personality which could cause unhappy feelings but here lies the big difference: he makes you laugh- almost to tears-and at the same time makes you happy since sadness and loneliness are defeated by an acute sense of humor , an enormous amount of tenderness and good -heart actions. Keaton becomes the striking example of these qualities and their power to destroy negative feelings : he never wanted to be a clown, no smiles, no words, no fiction but a perfection of style and quality and a show of his own personality in a lively unforgettable way.
His feature films, are not only exceptionally funny but are also artistic achievements: "The General" and "Our hospitality" etc. -all included in this edition- where he acts with his 1st wife, Natalie Talmadge and their eldest son ; he was allowed to create and control entirely his own films until 1920 when MGM broke his contract. He was living a very dramatic period and begun drinking heavily but after a third successful marriage could start producing again . He died in 1966-
Great and delicate humor together with compassion and sweetness, full of grace and big fun: you really deserve to own this copy of probably the greatest hilarious artist of several generations !
His feature films, are not only exceptionally funny but are also artistic achievements: "The General" and "Our hospitality" etc. -all included in this edition- where he acts with his 1st wife, Natalie Talmadge and their eldest son ; he was allowed to create and control entirely his own films until 1920 when MGM broke his contract. He was living a very dramatic period and begun drinking heavily but after a third successful marriage could start producing again . He died in 1966-
Great and delicate humor together with compassion and sweetness, full of grace and big fun: you really deserve to own this copy of probably the greatest hilarious artist of several generations !
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unmissable classic films
This for any Buster Keaton fan is a must, it includes all the best of his films, including the classic American Civil War film 'The General' not as some would think about a soldier... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jay Dee
Classic!
I remember seeing 'The General' when I was a child and it has always stayed in the back of my mind. I bought this to watch with my Mother (now 88) at Christmas 2009. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2010 by M. A. Parminter
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