In the movie The General Johnnie Gray, a simple engineer, tries to win the heart of his girlfriend by enlisting in the army. Although he is refused, he eventually takes on a group of Northern soldiers who hijack his train. Not only does he rescue his beloved Anabelle (and General), but he also helps defeat a Northern army in battle. Yet, his methods are hardly standard derring-do. Is Johnnie just lucky or a true hero? Does this film endorse standard ideas of military heroism or make fun of them? Or does this movie redefine a hero? What does this movie tell us about heroism (or related concepts of machismo, chivalry, or militarism)?
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ReplyDeleteI believe that Johnnie is a real hero because he is always fighting for what he believes in. Johnnie on multiple occasions is turned away from war as generals believe he is more valuable as a engineer instead of serving in the Army but that never stops him from fighting for what he believes in. Although luck is a major part Johnnie had to be in the positions, he was in to luck out including the launching of the cannonball. If Johnnie were at home, he would have never launched the cannonball knocking down the bridge and dam. Johnnie may have never been fit or looked like a soldier, but he had more heart than any other soldier did. Another moment was when the general for the North is knocked out on Johnnie's train. If Johnnie did not set up his, train to be in that position he would have never saved the South and deliver the general to the head of the South. Finally, in all heroes path to glory there is always a bit of luck that goes there way. Heroes are people who are always willing to fight for what they believe in, and I believe Johnnie is no exception to this idea as he constantly looking for a way to fight and protect the South. In conclusion, although Johnnie gets lucky in a couple moments he is always willing and trying to fight for what he believes in which is truly the only way to judge whether a character is a hero or not.
ReplyDeleteBuster Keaton’s The General certainly makes you think about what truly makes a hero. The main character Johnny Gray, played by Buster Keaton, wins the battle for the southern army, saves the girl, and has more victories along the way, but does that make him the hero. Well, lets take a look. Cambridge defines a hero as “a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great.” Does this describe Johnny Gray? I would say so… Even though almost every good thing that he does is pretty much a direct result from his own luck, Johnny Gray still achieved something great. It was because of him that the south was able to defeat the northern army. I understand that, truly, the only reason that he accomplishes the feat was due to his luck. In the end though, I do not think it really matters in the end as long as you come out as the victor. Now, I think if he would have lost the battle, he might have been mocked for the rest of his life, but that is not what happened. In the end though he won the battle and all is well. Additionally, I do think that The General is making somewhat of a mockery of the idea of the typical hero, but just because Johnny Gray is not your typical hero does not mean that he isn’t one. He accomplished something great and therefore by definition he is a hero.
ReplyDeleteThe film tells us that heroism is possible for any character with perseverance, regardless of how stereotypically it is portrayed. If a character has a mentality that desires to do the right thing- whether the motives are personal or charitable- they will be able to overcome challenges that test their abilities to succeed. In The General, the hero is portrayed as a non-stereotypical hero. Johnnie Gray had a few defining actions that determined his heroism in this film. He saved his beloved Annabelle and assisted the troop in defeating a Northern army. While most of his actions imply that his heroism was based on luck, Johnnie ultimately initiated the actions that allowed him to end up in a situation where he could be a hero. The actions weren’t heroic, but they led him to be a hero. For example, Johnnie kept flinging a sword around in an attempt to assist the troops but he kept losing it and running after it. Eventually he ended up in a location where he was the target of a northern army general’s gun. Unknowingly, Johnnie flung his sword around again, and it killed the opposing general. In this case, the actions leading up to Johnnie’s heroic action were clumsy and unrighteous of a hero. However, Johnnie ultimately defeated a vital opponent in the war. In another example, Gray tried to work his way up to assisting the troop even more, and soon found himself needing to find out how to fire a cannon. As fate would have it, Johnnie had no idea how to work a cannon and the cannon he fired was pointed in the direction of the sky. It ended up destroying a damn that- when hit- wiped out several northern army soldiers. It was lucky that the cannon ended up there, but it was still Johnny's action.
ReplyDeleteThe goal of Buster Keaton’s role in The General is to satirize the idea of militarism and heroism through his character Johnnie Gray; therefore, Johnnie is not a true hero. For the sake of the plot of the film, Johnnie does go through the typical motions of what we would consider to be heroic: persevering for his cause, saving his girl, and ultimately preventing an attack on the Southern military. However, it’s essential to remember that this film is aimed to be portrayed to the audience as a comedy. Keaton uses his signature art of gags to satirize Johnnie’s heroism and intentionally make his actions seem ridiculous and accidental to the audience. For example, one scene shows Johnnie accidentally leaning onto a cannon and causing it to shoot straight up into the air, incidentally striking a dam that forces the Northerners to retreat and ultimately ends the battle. This action and many others are intentionally comedic to make the audience recognize the absurdity of it all. Keaton uses Johnnie’s lack of military experience as the butt of the joke many times throughout the film, playing on the idea that perhaps militarism is not as advanced as the people at the time would like to have thought. The film is intended to get the audience to root for Johnnie to save the day in a comedic sense, and his reception of the Lieutenant jacket was meant to indicate a happy ending. However, in the broader context of the film as satire, Johnnie is more of a vehicle for humor rather than an authentic hero.
ReplyDeleteThrough the portrayal of a clumsy, yet extremely lucky Southern engineer named Johnnie Gray in The General, Buster Keaton comments on what characteristics truly personify a hero. In the opening moments of the film, Johnnie Gray attempts to enlist in the Confederate army in order to impress his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Gray, the army recruiter tells Johnnie that his work as an engineer is more valuable to the South than another enlisted recruit. Immediately upon returning to his girlfriend, Johnnie is shunned and told not to speak to her again until he is an active member of the army. Even though Johnnie's desire to put his life on the line in order to fight for what he believes in by enlisting in the army might be considered a "heroic character trait", he is nonetheless labeled a failure by his peers due to a stroke of "bad luck". This prevents him from serving in the Confederate army and having any shot at becoming a hero.
ReplyDeleteFast forward to the end of the film, Johnnie Gray, after an electrifying confrontation with Union soldiers, is enlisted in the Confederate army, and labeled a hero by his girlfriend and his peers. Yet, despite saving his girlfriend, defeating union soldiers, and steeling a train from the union army, he still is the same clumsy engineer he was at the start of the movie. Johnnie still loves his trains, wants to impress his girlfriend, and is someone who will always fight for what he believes in. The only thing that changes for Johnnie is his luck. Whereas Johnnie was unlucky for the first half of the film, a series of "lucky events" propels him to heroic status. Interestingly, one unlucky event could change the outcome of the entire film (for example, if Johnnie was caught while hiding underneath the table, he could have easily been captured and a prisoner of the Union army). With this in mind, it is reasonable to assume that Buster Keaton attempted to argue that luck is the ultimate factor in determining what makes a hero. But why?
Following a Confederate defeat, many Southerners began feeling resentment regarding the outcome of the Civil War, and labeled it as a lost, yet honorable cause. For many Southerners, a Confederate defeat did not automatically mean that the values they fought for were suddenly dishonorable. Perhaps Keaton's commentary on heroism (and subsequently what is seen by the majority as "good") being a product of "luck" as opposed to what is actually "right" serves as a justification for supporting the ideas and values exhibited by those who believed in "The Lost Cause".
Johnnie is a true hero because of his selfless acts in saving Anabelle and stopping the Northern soldiers during the movie. Though luck does play a big role in Johnnie’s victory, his true intentions are the reason he can be defined as a hero. I disagree with the fact that Johnnie only saved Anabelle because he thought his love for her would be reciprocated if he saved her life. At the end of the movie, we can see that Anabelle is still not interested in Johnnie until he is deemed a lieutenant. He knew that saving Anabelle would have no impact on their romantic relationship because she had previously stated she would only be interested in him if he enlisted in the army. However, he still tried as hard as possible to save her when he saw she was being kidnapped. Johnnie is a true hero because I believe he would have tried to save anyone who was kidnapped by the men on the train, not just the women he loves. He did not save Anabelle because he had an ulterior motive in mind; he saw someone in danger and took action. He also did not rest once he had Anabelle; he was determined to stop the Northern attack and get back to his territory in time to warn the soldiers, which resulted in the bridge collapsing and Johnnie saving the day. It is obvious that many of Johnnies triumphs were due to luck, but that does not mean his good intentions do not matter. Many common heroes we think of today have also had victories based off luck, but they are still heroes because of never ending efforts.
ReplyDeleteBuster Keaton’s “The General” redefines the stereotypical image of a hero through the actions and thoughts of the protagonist, Johnnie Grey. Throughout the history of film, and especially in depictions of war, heroes have been categorized by their physical features. Whether it be having massive muscles, or having a good shot, these features of mankind have separated what it means to be a hero or not. Most practical men displayed in “The General” are soldiers and leaders of both sides of the war; they are viewed by the public as righteous heroes while men outside of the war, like Johnnie, are stated as cowardice. This is shown through the words of Johnnie’s girlfriend, Annabelle, who resents him after he is rejected at the enlisting site. It is only through the actions of Johnnie, that the essence of what it means to be a hero is changed. The ideals of a hero are changed from physical traits, more towards mental attitudes. Johnnie throughout the entirety of the film displays more resilience than any registered soldier, shown in scenes like the initial hijacking of the train. When the Northern spies finally break into action and hijack the train, The General, it is only Johnnie who perseveres enough in chasing the train to finally catch up and enact in a train chase; all of the other soldiers give up halfway. Another scene of heroism is the balance of desire Johnnie has throughout the film. His initial goal was to appeal towards his girlfriend, but it is in his heroism to continue following the train after its hijacking. His desires then balance each other when he realizes two things, one, that his girlfriend was kidnapped, and two, that the North is planning a large invasion. Johnnie uses his wit, and bravery to persevere through the attacks of the Northerners when he steals back The General, and still while saving his girlfriend, successfully alerts the South of the attack, saving the day for all. Some might say it is luck that transformed Johnnie into a hero, but I say it is through the determination during the process, and the success of the righteous goals Johnnie had, that a new hero has formed, redefining the traits of a hero.
ReplyDeleteDespite his motives of self-interest and reliance on luck, Johnnie Gray is the hero of Buster Keaton’s The General. It is true he diverts from the characteristics and journey of a typical hero, though this is more for comedic effect rather than intentional commentary on military heroism. Small, clean-shaven, and rejected by the army, his need to prove his manliness to win Anabelle’s affection is perhaps his main motivation. However, the film frames him as a hero as though he starts out rejected, he journeys out to prove himself, saves the day, and comes back home where he is celebrated and moves up in rank. His clumsiness and abundance of luck serves mostly for comedic purposes, such as when his sword flies from the handle and hits a northern soldier or when his cannon slides out of position, only to hit its target due to a curve in the tracks. The motive and details hardly matter if the achievements are there, and he accomplishes plenty for the South, demonstrating patriotism regardless of his self-interest. But broadly speaking, it cannot be overlooked that the film celebrates the “noble South” and ignores any allegiance to slavery. Johnnie Gray is fighting for what he thinks is the right cause as the South is home to him. He may be celebrated as a Confederate soldier, but cannot be considered a hero to the unacknowledged Southern slaves at the time. For this reason, his heroism, sympathetic to the South, is somewhat problematic even as a historical piece.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray in The General, played by Buster Keaton, is a true hero because even though his ways of defeating his enemies are unconventional, Gray still manages to save the day and the girl. Gray uses his knowledge of working on a train to execute tactical sabotages to advance his position. Considering Gray accomplishes his goal of escaping with his tactics, he uses knowledge rather than luck. One example of this is when Gray used excess wood and fire to light a bridge on fire. Gray’s ability to think on his feet to create this diversion and set the North back while destroying supplies proves he uses wit over luck. If anything, Gray faces more unlucky experiences than lucky ones to help him in his escape. For example, while trying to escape Gray found himself in a house with all of his enemies. This unlucky situation proves Gray’s wit because he was able to escape without being caught when he was right under the noses of Northern soldiers. He also manages to rescue his girlfriend by using the resources available to him and makes a triumphant escape. To escape without his girlfriend being seen, Gray uses a sac around him and puts her in it. Throughout the movie, Gray also uses various uniforms at his disposal to disguise himself as both a Southern and Northern soldier. The themes The General portrays in terms of heroism are that anyone with the abilities to think fast and identify surroundings will be successful. Johnnie Gray exhibited these characteristics throughout his escape, and he saves the day at the end.
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