The General - Bradley Strickland

The cinematography of Keaton’s The General was so different from that of earlier short films. Keaton used the cinematography artfully; he did more than “point and shoot.” He used the camera angles and various types of shots to tell part of the story – not just relay it to the audience. His use of the long shot was particularly interesting. Towards the end of the film, the long shot behind the Southern troops gave the audience a feeling that they were involved in the war – and it was clear whose side we were supposed to take. It gives us (the audience) anxiety as the Northern troops charged, filling the screen with tiny running specs in an extreme long shot. Also, it instills with us a sense of victory to see the long shot of the Northern troops being stopped by bullets and cannon balls. These shots have a complexity – a subliminal use - not seen or utilized in the short films. Not only were the long shots used to emotionally relate the audience to Johnnie Gray’s home side, but also they were used to suggest realness to Gray’s humor. The multiple long shots of Gray getting on and off the General after or during a mishap, for instance him moving the beams off of the track, allow us to see that this is actually happening and he is actually physically involved.

Keaton also used close-up shots in the film to aid in both comedic and dramatic story telling. As we discussed in class, the close-up shot of Gray on the train as he sees the train car move back on the track after his diversion was ideal for showing the hilarious distress and ironically intense emotion in his “stone-face.” This is an especially effective technique in a silent film. The bird’s eye shot through the hole of the table cloth as Gray is hiding under the Northern troops’ table gives us a dramatic, and surprising, view of Annabelle highlighting Gray’s dangerous role now as a spy.