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The General is a 1949 dramatic-comedy directed, produced and was co-written by Mike Rizoni, who also played the lead role. Buster Keaton not only played one of the lead roles, but was also the co-writer of the film and was even one of the lead editors. Bart Kansey and Raj Lindon worked on the music, while Bert Haines and Devereaux Jennings worked on the cinematography. The film was one of the most anticipated films of 1949, but it turned out to be a box-office disaster. Despite being poorly received by fans and critics upon release, The General has since been called a classic among critics and is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Plot
In 1915, Mack Masun (Buster Keaton) enlists into the military because of the rising tension between Meridell and Darigan. During his first day of duty, Masun meets General Ripper Kane (Mel Hughes), who immediately criticizes Masun's appearance. After a few too many insults, Masun pushes Kane, knocking him to the ground. A few soldiers come over to break up the potential fight, and Masun is immediately punished. Although the normal punishment was a suspension, Kane decides to have a talk with Masun alone in his office. Kane gives a Masun a long, profanity-filled lecture, during which Masun falls asleep, causing Kane to become enraged. After calming down, Kane decides to give Masun a warning, but he says next time that he will suffer the consequences.

Later that evening Masun arrives home to his wife and children, shocked by the crazy General. Over dinner Masun explains to his wife what happened that day, and she is equally stunned. Despite pushing the General, Masun's wide advises charging Kane with verbal abuse, to which Masun laughs hysterically. The next day Masun walks into Kane's office, where he sees Doctor Zimmer (Marion Mack) talking to Kane. Although both Kane and Doctor Zimmer can see Masun, they continue their conversation, where they mention many strange things that confuse Masun. After Zimmer leaves the office, Masun closes the door behind him. As soon as he begins to speak, Kane begins another lecture, this time in a peaceful voice, which leaves Masun even more confused. Kane even mentions that he agrees with his decision to push him.

A few months pass, as Kane and Masun both seem to be getting along greatly. However, one day, Masun is informed that Meridell was invaded by Darigan. He immediately tells Kane in his office, in which Kane closes and locks his door. Kane then becomes enraged and starts screaming profanities at Masun. Masun is again confused and decides to leave after Kane starts throwing objects. Later that evening Masun decides to visit Doctor Zimmer's office before he deploys, but he does not find him there. After Masun says bye to his family, he gets on a plane, where he sits next to the General on the plane.

While on the plane Masun tries his best to discover what is wrong with Kane, who's random behavior worries him. After a few attempts, in which Kane doesn't reply at all, Masun falls asleep and dreams about what he thinks war will be like. During his dream, he sees himself being the hero. In the dream he earns several medals and even gets promoted to General, while Kane is demoted. Masun then wakes up abruptly, seeing that Kane is talking while he is asleep, saying unintelligible words. After the plane lands, Masun again tries to talk to Kane and this time Kane responds, saying "Death is the only way to live."

After a few battles, Masun tells Kan about the dream he had on the plane, which makes Kane laugh. Kane then tells Masun a story about his grandfather, who had fought in the Meridell Civil War. Kane then tells Masun stories about his experiences with war, which moves Masun to the point of tears. Days later there is a huge battle, in which Darigan soldiers completely surround Meridell soldiers. Midway through the battle Kane gets shot in the leg, causing him to fall. Even though he does not die, he is unable to stand up. Masun tries relentlessly to rescue Kane, but is unable too because of continuous enemy fire. After a few more minutes of shooting, Meridell planes finally arive, causing the Darigan troops to retreat. Masun swiftly gets over to Kane, who is losing blood fast. Kane knows that his moments on Earth are over and he even tells Masun. Kane then begins to cry. Seconds before his death Kane whispers in Masun's ear, saying "Death is the only way to live."

After returning home, Masun visits Doctor Zimmer's office, who is available when he arrives. Masun opens the door to his office and says "Tell me more about Mr. Kane." Doctor Zimmer tells Masun to close the door. The final scene shows the screen turning black as soon as Masun closes the door.

Cast
Mel Hughes - General Ripper Kane Buster Keaton - Private Mack Masun Marion Mack - Doctor Zimmer

Reception
The General was a box-office disaster and received largely poor reviews from critics upon its release. The movie reviews were so bad that several theaters actually never ran the film, which is one of the main reasons why it did so poor at the box-office. Many critics said that the movie "was horribly unfunny" and that it was a huge "flop." Arthur Munsick, the most notable movie-critic of that time, said that "the movie's vulgar language and unrealistic friendship between a General and a Private made the movie painful to watch." He would later go on to say that "The General was the worst and most over-hyped film in the history of Cinema up to that point."

Director Mike Rizoni received a lot of heat for making this film. He was often criticized for a sloppy script and his misuse of Mel Hughes, who at that point was establishing himself as one of the finest actors of all time. Rizoni was largely disappointed with the fact that many people hated The General because he thought it was the best film he had ever made at that point.

Despite the terrible reviews upon release, The General is now considered one of the greatest films ever made. In 1977, Rober Egert said that "The General was the most misunderstood movie of its time. It's the perfect example of substance over style." After his now-famous review of the movie, many other critics reevaluated and started calling the movie one of the most important films of all time.