Skip to main content

THE GENERAL

For weeks, no months really I have been waiting for December, not for Christmas, no something just as good though. Finally after wishing and hoping for the last couple of years I would get to see Buster Keaton on a big screen with an audience. Last Monday night was that night. I know that I have mentioned Buster Keaton a couple of times on my blog before but if you really haven't seen one of his movies I really urge you do so.

So where did this interest in Buster begin.

About 3 years ago I went into my local DVD store and there he was staring out at me amongst the "nostalgia" section. I thought to myself he's got an interesting face I think I would like to watch that movie, but I couldn't as they only had it on Video Tape and my video machine had long ago died a natural death. So instead I went home and on my online DVD outlet I ordered The General to rent, it arrived a day or so later, on a Friday. On the copy that they sent me was also a two-reeler that Buster had made in 1922 called Cops. My thoughts were that I'll start with this it only goes for 2o or so minutes before I try to tackle a full length Silent Movie.


Almost immediately I was hooked but one particular scene made me a fan; just watch this clip, this is really him catching a car.






Next I watched The General and the beauty of the movie is what drew me in.

I didn't return that DVD until I owned a copy of The General myself, which was not too hard to find. In Australia you can get The General, College, Three Ages and Steamboat Bill Jnr, but nothing else, so I have become in international buyer and now own a lot of Keaton.

But I had never seen him on a BIG SCREEN with an audience.

So come last Monday night was my big opportunity I was so excited, there was just one little apprehension, it was with a live rescore.

What if they ruined The General, what if the score

was a disaster, completely wrong and just horrible?


Within 30 seconds of the beginning of the move I knew that my fears were for nothing, the score was beautiful just like the movie.

So I have to thank the cinema(Mercury Cinema) and the composer (Alexander Waite Mitchell) for a wonderful night at the movies.


About 100 people came to watch the movie and I think we were all happy that we had. The laughter rang out and at times clapping and gasping at Keaton's antics.

And that face it's so timeless.

I just wish that next week I could go watch The Navigator or Steamboat Bill Jnr.

I can watch at home but it's not really the same.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Terowie Picture Theatre was different than the others.

Terowie is a small mid-north town in South Australia, today it would be seen as a ghost town. From the heady days of nearly 2000 residents today, just over 100 people call it home.  But it is such an interesting town that I urge you to visit if you are ever in the area.  The buildings in the main street are a snapshot of a 19th-century Australian town.   In researching my blog I came to understand what a remarkable town Terowie was and continues to be.  Very much a community and seems to continue today.  But it is the 'community' heart of Terowie that made it different than other towns during the 1920s through to the 1960s when they came together to 'put on a show' for each other.  That is what I love about picture theatres the social heart of them in a city, in a suburb in a town.  Where people come together, whether it be strangers or fellow townsfolk.  Going to the pictures was and continues to be a very social outing.   https://...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cliff Edwards

I have recently become very interested in the career of Cliff Edwards know to many in the 30's as Ukulele Ike. Now Cliff if you have never heard of him was HUGE in the 20's and 30's, he was everywhere, he could do everything. He was a comedian, he could act, he played Ukulele (of course) and he could sing, boy could he sing . Cliff was a great "scat singer", he is amazing to listen to and his music although not much heard of today would be I think if more widely known make him famous all over again. He had over his career sales of over 70 million (no that is not a typo) records, his own radio show and later his own television show. He starred with such legends as Buster Keaton (which is where I first came to know of him) in the early 30's. Cliff was the first person on film to sing "Singin in the Rain" you should hear his version from "The Hollywood Revue of 1929" a major outing by MGM to welcome sound. Cliff lived an amazing life, sadly it...
Post a Comment
Read more