Topic: The General/Steamboat Bill Jr. - 5/14/19

[falsealarms]

Cohen Film Collection will release Buster Keaton Collection Vol 1 on Blu-Ray May 14... there will also be a DVD version.

The set will include new 4K restorations of The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Blu-Ray pre-order: https://www.bullmoose.com/p/29682572/buster-keaton-volume-1-blu-ray (Amazon should follow soon).

https://bottomshelfmovies.com/the-buster-keaton-collection-volume-1-coming-from-cohen-film-collection

Synopsis:

New digital restorations of two of Buster Keaton’s greatest works, both featuring orchestral scores by Carl Davis.

Many critics consider The General to be the last great comedy of the silent era, and it consistently ranks as one of the greatest films of all time on international critics’ polls. Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is an authentic-looking period piece that brings the scope and realism of Matthew Brady-like images to brilliant life. Keaton portrays engineer Johnnie Gray, rejected by the Confederate Army and thought a coward by his girlfriend (Marion Mack). When a band of Union soldiers penetrate Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in pursuit.

And in Steamboat Bill, Jr., as the son of a steamboat captain, Buster falls in love with the daughter of a rival steamboat owner. When a cyclone rages, Buster proves himself a hero by rescuing his love and her father from a watery grave.

Special Features:

    Reflections on THE GENERAL
    Buster Keaton: The Luminary
    Trailers for both films

[metaldams]

I preordered, on blu-ray.  I don't even own a blu Ray player but live with someone who does so I can watch it any time.  My copy of these two films like all the other Keaton silent non MGM features are from THE ART OF BUSTER KEATON DVD set, which is twenty years old.  Those DVDs look fine to my eyes and there have been a lot of supposed upgrades since then, but everybody online has praised these Cohen 4K restorations as the gold standard, so I'm giving them a shot to see if I notice a difference.  I do know I love Carl Davis scores, so that's a plus.  So I'm finally caving into an upgrade, and we'll see if I go further based on how much I notice a difference.