Silent classic that holds it's ground
"The General" is another one of those silent classics(like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari") that seems to hold it's own 81 years after it's debut. I won't go in to the details of the plot, needless to say it's a slapstick comedy taking place during the United States Civil War(yes, other countries have had civil wars too).
The comedic aspects of this film are great, and the slapstick works well. In fact, it tends to work better than most modern slapstick attempts. It's really simple stuff too, a guy falling through a hole in a bridge, or tossing a plank of wood over the train car he's trying to get it into. Yet it made me laugh out loud, which is something this movie should be proud of.
The acting isn't really something you can comment on when it comes to silent films, because it's not like you can really get into a character if they have no voice right? So i'm going to avoid trying to comment on this for fear of being yelled at by the mavens.
Overall? A good laugh, Buster Keaton really knows(knew, whatever) how to get people laughing. Even if you don't like silent films, this is good for it's lack of dialouge.