Search - Classic Comedy Triple Feature Vol. 1 - The Milky Way, The General, College on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/4/2024...

The General - Black and White Silent movie classics for those who like those. The rest of us only have a certain level of pain tolerance of watching these.

Keaton, Lloyd and Keaton

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 03/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a decent DVD 3 film set that offers for those new to silent pictures an excellent opportunity to see one of the greatest comedians of all time. Full screen transfers from unrestored stock are quite watchable. No bonus features included.

First we have THE MILKY WAY, a 1936 Leo McCarey comedy with Harold Lloyd and Adolphe Menjou. During the silent era Lloyd was famous for death-defying stunts, but in this OK boxing-related film he's clearly past his prime (and not nearly as amusing).

The other two films are the meat of this meal. Both are silent, both star Buster Keaton and both are absolute classics.

In COLLEGE (1927), Buster portrays an anti-athletics bookworm named Ronald who for love's sake attempts to win a girl's affections by becoming a jock. He fails miserably at every sport, an ironic premise in Keaton's case, for he was in real life a highly-coordinated naturally-gifted baseball player and acrobat capable of immense feats of strength.


The Civil War story THE GENERAL features Buster as a loyal Southerner and engineer of the entitled steam locomotive. When Union soldiers hijack his beloved engine, our hero pursues them in a second. He eventually manages to steal the General back.

The above premise sets up two superb chase sequences that end with one train's plunge into a river following the collapse of a wooden bridge it's crossing. Re-creation of Civil War uniforms and equipage is most accurate and the Tennessee/Georgia scenery (actually rural Oregon) looks great. Keaton's seemingly effortless stunt abilities are another highlight of this unforgettable film. An absolute must-see!"