From Mr. Thompson...

Of the three great silent comedians, Charlie Chaplin was the most famous (recognizable to this day for his beloved "Little Tramp" character) and Harold Lloyd made the most money (and by far the most films). But Buster Keaton, nicknamed "The Great Stone Face," is the most critically acclaimed.

For a long time, he was forgotten. He was prolific for about a four year stretch until he made this picture, 'The General.' It was a commercial failure, and with the advent of "talkies," Keaton slipped into a decades-long obscurity, having lost control and ownership of his work. It wasn't until recently that critics and fans took a second look at his work and reassessed just how incredible a performer he truly was. For example, 'The General' is currently number 27 on the AFI Top 100 as of the most recent ranking. Ten years earlier, it wasn't even on the list at all.

'The General' is not Buster Keaton's funniest film, but it is his greatest. If you come into it looking for laughs, you'll probably be disappointed. But if you come into it looking for thrills, you'll come away wowed; Not just at how dangerous (and constant!) the stunts are, but at how effortlessly he performs them. Watching 'The General' is about appreciating the work of a great artist who constantly risked his life to tell a story. As much as I appreciate the work of Tom Cruise in the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, Keanu Reeves in the "John Wick" franchise," or... anyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I think Keaton's work in 'The General' is more breathtaking than all of them.

We owe an enormous debt to Buster Keaton and his endless inventiveness. As you'll discover in this week's anticipation guide, he was fearless. There's nothing he wouldn't do to tell the story. He did all of his own stunts in an era where there were no safety harnesses, let alone CGI. And yet, he was so committed to the moment of the story that as you watch the film, you'll start to overlook just how much danger he's really in. 'The General' is our case study because it demonstrates how even in the early in the history of cinema, filmmakers were aware of the importance of screen direction in telling a story. But that's not why students in the past have loved it and still come talk to me about it. They loved the Great Stone Face, the stories he told, and the lengths he went to to tell them.

Enjoy Buster Keaton's inimitable 1927 magnum opus, 'The General.'