Thursday, January 29, 2015
Heroes Anyone?
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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Heroism is a result of two individual components coming together, which, when combined, produce the concept of heroism. The first component is the environment or the consequence of circumstance factor. The ‘hero’ must be in the right place at the right time in order to respond. This is often considered the ‘luck’ aspect of heroism because the hero has no control over external influences. For example, in the General, Johnnie Gray could be considered a hero because he saves Annabelle Lee from the Union soldiers. However, Johnnie came across the Northerners’ lodging by chance. He just happened to stumble upon the camp when he was searching for food, and he did not know that Annabelle was being held there. At this point, Johnnie has met the first component of heroism: luck. One may argue that since luck plays a significant role, heroism is meaningless because anyone could become a hero if they are in the right place at the right time. However, the second component of heroism is a conscious decision to take action. This is what distinguishes the hero from the ordinary person. The hero will choose to aggressively act when a ‘luck’ situation arises, while the ordinary person will choose to be passive or even remove him or herself from the environment. At several points throughout the film, Johnnie had the opportunity to give up the pursuit and retreat. Specifically, when Johnnie found that Annabelle was being held and guarded on the Union base, he could have decided that rescuing her would be too difficult. Yet, Johnnie made the choice to save Annabelle from the Union soldiers. His success was a result of both luck and a decision.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The General, Johnnie often happens to be in the right place at the right time, allowing for him to accidentally contribute some “heroic” actions. Although Johnnie does appear to save the day many times, such as when his sword breaks and kills a Northern soldier that is about to shoot him, these incidents all occur due to luck, and his ability to be in the right place at the right time. If Johnnie were a true hero then more thought would’ve been put into his actions and the audience would see him perhaps be more strategic about the decisions he makes. However, in the film it becomes evident that Johnnie does not carry out all of his “heroic” actions on purpose. In a way this film makes fun of military heroism. Johnnie is awarded the position of Lieutenant, despite the fact that he did not carry out any purposeful heroic actions. There is also a scene where Johnnie continues to pull out his broken sword in attempt to mock the General giving orders, something that he has no authority to do. Although the film does make fun of military heroism it also shows the audience the idea that anyone can be a hero. Johnnie is an engineer and by no definition appears to be some macho guy that is typically associated with a hero. But throughout the course of the film he appears to become some sort of hero, whether due to luck and his ability to be in the right place at the right time, or just simply his strong desire to save the girl and show her that he is capable of doing something other than just simply being an engineer, Johnnie shows a determination quality that can be found in a hero.
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ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I disagree with the statement that Johnny Gray’s actions in The General are not “derring- do” (which is defined by google dictionaries as “action displaying heroic courage”), as I think that his actions throughout the movie portray a man who pushes forward through his obstacles for no reason other than his “heroic courage.” As a person who evidently doesn’t have experience in combat and in fact was rejected from joining the Confederate army (granted, it was because he was needed as an engineer, but he was rejected nonetheless), Johnny is obviously not the type of person that would fit the “hero” archetype. Regardless of this, he still uses his courage to try to be as much of a hero as he can throughout the film, acting boldly to overcome the disadvantages that arise from his lack of experience.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, it is clear throughout the film that some of Johnny’s success is due to extreme cases of happenstance; he gets very lucky on many occasions to the point that it almost seems like he shouldn’t be alive. For example, while he is hiding under the table of the Union generals, Johnny is almost discovered as an officer’s foot touches him and another officer picks up the tablecloth. However, due to his uncanny amount of luck, Johnny makes it out of this situation (and many others like it) completely unscathed. It is important to note, however, that this movie is clearly a comedy and therefore that the good luck that Johnny experiences isn’t just a lack of creativity on the director’s part but actually a comedic device used to make the audience laugh at the unrealistic results of Johnny’s multiple predicaments.
Regardless of this otherworldly luck, however, Johnny Gray cannot be labeled as a lucky beginner and counted out as a hero. The fact that he becomes lucky again and again is obviously crucial to his survival, but his decisions that lead to him getting into danger repeatedly to try to save his girlfriend demonstrate that he is a truly brave individual who puts his loved ones before himself. In addition to this bravery, Johnny is also a hero in the sense that his ventures are successful; although his methods of achieving said success may be slightly out of the norm, his bravery and luck ultimately lead to the success that is commonly associated with being a hero (no one has ever labeled a failure as a hero). As a result, Johnny Gray is not just a lucky common man who found himself wrapped up in a heroic adventure, but an actual hero himself.
Rather than completely redefining what a hero is or making a mockery of military heroism itself, this movie simply attempts to suggest that you don’t have to be a large, macho man in order to be a hero. Johnny Gray, while rather comedic in his execution, essentially solves the same problems that a “normal” hero like Superman would (get back what was stolen, save the girl, etc.). Because the movie shows a very abnormal hero, I don’t think that its intentions were to make a mockery of the archetypal hero itself, but rather to show something quite far from that archetype and imply that this version of a hero is just as good as the one that we see in comic books.
In conclusion, Johnny Gray is neither depicted as nor intended to be a normal hero by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is the fact that he is an abnormal hero that makes this movie different than other hero movies, and also makes it extremely funny. His many odd ways of unblocking the railway or stopping the northerners from catching him are what keeps the movie interesting; if he were able to explode the union cars with his mind or fly his girlfriend back to the confederate border, not only would the movie be quite short but it also wouldn’t be very funny. However, through this comedy and oddness, a message still stands clear. This movie is just trying to show in a funny way that anyone can be a hero if they truly wish to be, and that if you are brave and you have a goal set firmly in your mind, not only will luck be on your side, but you will also be successful in achieving your goals.
Johnnie is a true hero, although he is not a hero in a generic sense. He is a hero if you take his actions at base value. Johnnie, whether you like it or not, is a hero because of his actions. For instance when he see the northern soldiers taking his train he is the first to try and gather many rebel soldiers so that they can go and catch the northerners with his train. When he realizes that the northern soldiers have Anabelle he does not hesitate to save her at the first chance he has. Through these couple of examples it is clear that through his actions he is very heroic. When you watch the movie his character does not come off as a hero as he does not fit into the hero mold, and by that I mean he just does not look the part of a hero. By this account we can see how the film makes fun of military heroism. This point comes to a head when Johnnie helps lead the charge against the northern soldiers that he had been chasing previously. Military Heroism is made fun of when Johnnie helps with the battle by destroying the damn as well as killing one of the northern generals by mistake. This is definitely a play on the unlikely hero that Johnnie Gray is, he almost signal handedly takes out a platoon of northern soldiers with no military experience what so ever. In these examples it is clear that the character Johnnie Gray is a hero but a satirical one who plays on the stereotypes of militaristic heroism.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray, from The General, fits the role of a hero from his actions throughout the movie. Specifically after his girlfriend and train end up in the hands of northern soldiers. He unexpectedly ended up in a house of northern generals meeting where he discovered the whereabouts of his train and lady. From this point on Johnnie would be a true hero due to his actions of getting back his loved ones. To extend his heroism he even warned the southern army about the planned attack by the northerners so that they would be ready for battle. Johnnie had a decision where he could have avoided all of this and gave up two personal parts of his life but he challenged the odds and with the help of some luck ended up a hero not only to his lady but the southern army in their war against the north. A hero is one who is daring and has courage in what they are doing, when Johnnie took control of the train and escaped from the station, he had no other thought in his mind other then it will work. One may argue that the main character was very clumsy and didn’t actually know what would happened when he tried to escape but Johnnie is a train expert, he knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to trains and rail roads. Yes, there might have been some luck in events that happened but for most of the train chase Johnnie knew what he was doing and was very brave. He might not look like the normal “hero” one might see in a movie; however Johnnie Gray in The General reflects attributes of heroism from his actions.
ReplyDeleteIn The General the protagonist, Johnnie Gray, is depicted as a true hero; however, the film also makes fun of the traditional ideas behind military combat and machoism. Although, some might argue because Johnnie does not have the build or physical capabilities of a true hero his courage and bravery prove him to be just as Herculean as the rest. In the film Johnnie had to go up against unimaginable foes and to incredible lengths just to make it to his lady (making it back was another even more impressive feat). So, although there was a sense of comedy and luck through-out this film Johnnie’s very real bravery and valor overlook the fact that his physique and actions do not resemble the perfect hero. Although, Johnnie is a true hero in this film there is a sense of comedy and humor associated with all moments of military combat and machoism. Simply taking a look at all “fight scenes” in this film proves this point. Johnnie is able to essentially win a battle all by himself. In one specific scene every individual around Johnnie was taken out by a sharp shooter, and then when he raises his sword the blade goes flying up and miraculously impales the deadly riflemen. The film also pokes fun at the entire idea behind machoism. Through-out the film we see the scrawny character of Johnnie overcome and defeat men who would be labeled as macho and strong. For example after a Union soldier (bad guy) had woken up directly next to Johnnie he was quickly defeated despite having the element of surprise. Although, The General exhibits themes of true heroism there remains parts that poke fun at old ideas of machoism, and military combat.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The General, the character of Johnnie Gray is used to redefine heroism and who a hero is. Typically we think of a hero as a strong, intelligent, macho man. However, Johnnie Gray is truly a hero, yet he does not fit this preconceived idea of who a hero really is. There are multiple scenes where Gray is near a union soldier who is much bigger and stronger than he is, but skinny little Johnnie Gray still manages to defeat or escape them somehow. It’s scenes like this in The General that help to redefine the physical characteristics of a hero; essentially, physical appearance is not a factor in defining a hero. In addition, while Johnnie Gray is intelligent because he is an engineer, that doesn’t automatically mean he is qualified to be a hero; it is more about the actions and choices he makes because of his intelligence that lead him to becoming a hero. For example, the northerners threw several big logs on the tracks in front of his train, so Gray picked one of them up and was able to toss it to hit the second log off as well. He also made the choice to save Annabelle from the union soldiers, which turned out to be very beneficial in the end. These types of intelligent actions and choices are what defines heroism. This film is able to define a hero in a new light; a hero is somebody, regardless of physical characteristics, who makes intelligent choices and actions that are beneficial to the cause.
ReplyDeleteWhile Johnnie’s success is largely credited to his lucky moments, his actions can still be considered heroic. His true heroism stems from the fact that he takes advantage of his lucky moments and treats them as opportunities to get closer to his goals. Moreover, he displays the bravery and courage that define a hero.
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of examples in which Johnnie, is lucky. First, he accidentally fires a cannon on enemy troops. Another stroke of luck happens when he is in battle and accidentally flings his sword blade at an union sniper, accidentally killing him. Later on, he inadvertently fires a cannon into a dam. The dam collapses and floods the river where union troops are located. This act helped defeat the union troops in the battle. Although luck plays a role in Johnnie’s success, Johnnie has an intention, acts upon it, and achieves his goal. Although Johnnie might not look like a hero, his actions are heroic. Chance is a factor in any reality. When a basketball player makes a full court shot to win the game, he is riding on some skill but a lot of luck. If he scores the basket, it doesn’t matter if he scored out of luck or out of skill, he is still the hero of the game. In this way, Johnnie is also a hero.
Johnnie also displays bravery throughout the film. When his train is captured, he doesn’t cower in fear, and instead chooses to pursue the enemy. He takes great risks by going into the enemy territory. Even though he knows that he is considered unfit to fight, he takes the personal risk because he believes that it is the right thing to do. Although the movie is advocating for the confederate army, an army that represents slavery and centuries of injustice, within the microcosm of the film, Johnnie must be considered a hero to his cause.
As mentioned earlier, heroism is not necessarily the result of skill, but can also be the result of luck. In everyday life, there are individuals, who use luck to their advantage. What makes the difference between a person who is just lucky and a person who is a hero is that the hero has intention behind their actions. The basketball player making the buzzer shot has the intention of winning the game for the team. Johnnie had the intention of fending off the union troops. The fact that luck playes a role in his success is merely a factor that aids his ability to achieve his goals. Without his intention and fearlessness, he would not have had the opportunities to demonstrate his heroism.
In addition, the film shows us that heroism can take on many forms. Although Johnnie might not be the epitome of a good soldier, he is able to shine. This is important because it reminds us that everyone is capable of greatness, even if it seems that they are normal, or even below average.
Johnnie Gray has good intentions although he fights in an army that modern audiences have declared antagonistic. Keaton was trying to make his character an atypical hero, so putting him on the eventual losing side would affect the audience’s first impression of him. The storyline of The General doesn’t require a classical perfect hero, as it’s a ‘dramedy’, and the main character’s mistakes create additional comedic affects. Johnnie is a skilled engineer, but most of the stunts are just luck rather than applied proficiency, like the cannon placements when he attempts to derail the enemy. The main theme of the film is him proving his worth to Annabelle Lee rather than serving the Confederate army. The choices he makes to get past each obstacle proves him to be the story’s hero. While he is held back from gaining any potential in a military situation, he stays in his skillset and does what he does best, working with trains. Still, the movie features him being met with numerous challenges which he overcomes each time in some way which, comical or not, works. Another way he shows heroism is by dedication, fighting for an army that wouldn’t accept him and fighting Union soldiers to save Annabelle (or more importantly, his train). He frequently shows bravery and makes quick decision in short periods of time and saves both of their lives. When he captures the Union general and is awarded Thatcher’s sword by the Southern generals, he has won his battle to get enlisted. By the end of the movie, he has become a hero to himself by winning over Annabelle, getting back his train and being allowed in the army. While for the majority he relies on luck, he proves his skill many times during the story.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray is as much of a hero as one can be in a comedy film. Johnnie is not your traditional hero, a David to the Goliath of the Northern powers during the Civil War. The General redefines what it means to be a hero and adds an amusing twist. There is nothing about Johnnie that makes him superior, other than that he is often in the right place at the right time. From beginning to end, Johnnie remains the underdog, single-handedly fighting off a train full of Northern soldiers. The great irony is that Johnnie was prevented from being a combat soldier much to his despair, yet ultimately end up being a key player in a major battle forcing the North to retreat. The General shows us that heroism itself may require more luck and sheer persistence than we would normally think. When you think Johnnie is about to make a mistake, it works out perfectly in the end, whether that be by flinging the end of his broken sword into the air, or misfiring a cannon ball as the train turns just slightly. Along with good fortune Johnnie is daring and crafty, using non-conventional tactics like bending the train tracks to play dirty against the North. I don’t believe The General is mocking heroism or militarism, but rather suggesting that the idea of hand to hand combat is disappearing. Made less than a decade after the mechanization of battle in the WWI, The General seems to be redefining traditional ideas of the military hero.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The General, Johnnie is a true hero. Although he is often lucky he displays characteristics that only a true hero would have. The perception of a hero is often one who has greater physical attributes than all other humans. Johnnie on the other hand is significantly smaller and less daunting than other men. But Johnnie has 2 characteristics which separate him from others, making him a hero, wit and perseverance. Johnnie shows that even though he is deemed not good enough to fight for the confederacy, he is still brave enough to single handedly go after a group of Union troops with his train and girlfriend. Johnnie is smart enough to know that he cannot out muscle his opponents so instead he must out smart them. The courage he displays in his actions proves that he is in fact derring-do.
ReplyDeleteThis movie tells us that anyone can be a hero. You do not need to be the tallest, or fastest, or strongest to be viewed as hero. With just a little courage even the average man; Johnnie in this case, can be a hero. Machismo proves useless in the end because all the men, who were at first considered superior to Johnnie, end up saluting him at the end because he is their lieutenant.
This movie makes fun of the standard idea of military heroism because the men who are considered fit for the military and heroes, the Union general and men, end up getting outsmarted and defeated.
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ReplyDeleteSupposedly, Johnnie Gray was more useful to the South as an engineer rather than a soldier – in addition to his small size, his work as an engineer was valued more than being in battle. However, throughout the course of the movie, the audience witnesses first hand that even the most insignificant of people can make quite a difference.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray does everything that a traditional hero is depicted as; he goes out of his way to steal his train back, rescues his love, and hinders the North’s advancement. However, the way in which Gray is able to do all of this is almost questionable. In fact, some may say that Gray’s performance was mostly due to luck; this is not the case. Johnnie Gray did everything correctly and the only misfortunes he encountered were a result of the humor within the movie. His true intent was to return with his train and eventually, his love. These qualities, along with the fact that he actually did succeed, deem him a worthy Southern hero.
At a first glance, Johnnie Gray doesn’t seem like a typical hero – he’s a scrawny man whose profession is that of an engineer (not a job that boasts physical superiority). The fact that Johnnie Gray possesses all of these attributes only goes to show that anyone can be a hero, despite what his/her physical appearance might suggest. Gray used his wits and took advantage of his experience on the train tracks to pursue the Northern soldiers, infiltrate their base, rescue his fair maiden, and return her just in time to warn the South of an incoming attack.
A hero is a silhouette of a man who can do great things; any average man can fulfill this role and be a hero. Johnnie Gray satisfies the loose definition of heroism with his courage, persistence, and smarts. Popular belief is that a hero has superior strengths and attributes. Superior attributes only play the hero card for so long; the perpetual trying is what makes Johnny a hero. This type of courage to do what he needs to do, and to keep working towards his goal, is what fulfils the silhouette. A counterargument would be that he is just lucky; however, luck does play a role, but Johnnie persistently takes advantage of his luck and that makes him a hero. When he’s joined with the confederate soldiers, three soldier’s get killed leaving Johnnie to the cannon. He accidentally makes it go off and ends up demolishing the bridge that holds off the Union soldiers and puts the confederates on higher ground. Johnny utilizes his smarts to gain the upper hand throughout the whole film. On the train, he constantly outsmarts the Union soldiers by timing his actions well. When there’s plywood in the train tracks, he uses his strength to get out the first one and then uses his smarts to time it right and strikes the wood to flip it out of the way. This type of intelligence that Johnnie has allows him to take advantage of his luck. He’s the sole man behind this conundrum; moreover, the Union soldiers thought it was multiple guys tricking them. This courage and fearless acting on his luck makes him a hero of new sorts.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie in this film gets lucky with the outcome of the actions he does. However, that doesn’t make him not a hero in the film, and in other films the hero sometimes need a bit of luck in order to continue on throughout their adventure successfully. Johnnie although being out number and a lot less experienced in the actions that he was attempting to do, seemed to hold his own. He had the motive of wanting to be something greater than just the average man, and that is what he did. By rescuing his love he achieved heroism by getting her back from the south. In many films today we also use a “damsel in distress” that then touches on the idea of machoism. Machoism goes along with the damsel and distress topic because in many cases this is what men find to be masculine action. By saving the girl he gains this masculinity. This further more carries on the persona of him being the “hero” in this film. However the director takes a turn and not only makes the character very masculine but also makes him a humorous. Johnnie is a redefined version of a hero because he rescues the girl and wins the battle for the south while also making the movie more relatable. While seeing the “hero” of the story stumble and fall we can relate it to how we would handle the situation. I think this is a twist in the character development that changes what we would call a “normal hero” and makes it into something so much more interesting. This carries on with the theme of what a hero actually is which just an average man with extraordinary will.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray is the definition of a true hero. While his actions might not fit the contemporary idea of a hero (strong and looked up to), the outcome of his persistence and bravery makes him a hero. When the army won’t take him seriously, Johnnie takes matters into his own hands and goes after the girl, putting his knowledge of trains to his advantage. Additionally, Johnnie doesn’t let any setback or obstacle deter him away from the goal of getting the girl back. While the film somewhat makes fun of military heroism, it also invokes the idea that anyone, no matter their strengths and weaknesses, can become a hero if they put their mind to it. The film makes fun of military heroism in that the military initially denies Johnnie, but Johnnie ends up as the man who saves the day and warns the military of a coming attack. Additionally, the film shoes Johnnie leading the opposing military on a cat and mouse type of chase, consistently and outsmarting them which makes fun of the idea that militaries are powerful. That being said, in the end, the military recognizes the heroism and bravery that Johnnie showed by offering him a spot in the military. The movie portrays the idea that if Johnnie, a boring train engineer, can save the day and be a hero, anyone can become a hero. That is really the message behind The General.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray is the definition of a true hero. While his actions might not fit the contemporary idea of a hero (strong and looked up to), the outcome of his persistence and bravery makes him a hero. When the army won’t take him seriously, Johnnie takes matters into his own hands and goes after the girl, putting his knowledge of trains to his advantage. Additionally, Johnnie doesn’t let any setback or obstacle deter him away from the goal of getting the girl back. While the film somewhat makes fun of military heroism, it also invokes the idea that anyone, no matter their strengths and weaknesses, can become a hero if they put their mind to it. The film makes fun of military heroism in that the military initially denies Johnnie, but Johnnie ends up as the man who saves the day and warns the military of a coming attack. Additionally, the film shoes Johnnie leading the opposing military on a cat and mouse type of chase, consistently and outsmarting them which makes fun of the idea that militaries are powerful. That being said, in the end, the military recognizes the heroism and bravery that Johnnie showed by offering him a spot in the military. The movie portrays the idea that if Johnnie, a boring train engineer, can save the day and be a hero, anyone can become a hero. That is really the message behind The General.
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ReplyDeleteIn the film "The General", Johnnie has no intention to be a hero, but rather the situations in which luck puts him ultimately makes him appear as though he is a hero. A hero is generally considered to be a brave or courageous individual who, usually single-handedly, accomplishes an amazing and unexpected feat which in turn has a “mitigating” effect on others. For example, an individual who jumps into a burning building to rescue a baby would be considered a hero. Yet, there is a nuance which tends to go unnoticed: those who do "heroic deeds" with a different initial intention cannot be considered true heroes. For example, if that same individual mentioned had been a drug dealer and intended to salvage a bag of money he had left in his house, but then happened to rescue a baby who was next to the bag, would he be a hero? Not exactly. The reason for this is that humans have a tendency to go the extra mile if they can do so effortlessly; giving into this natural tendency doesn’t make the person a hero. Instead, a person who jumps into the burning building because his heart aches to know that innocent people are about to die would become a “true” hero.
ReplyDeleteKeeping these in mind, let us reassess Johnnie’s situation. When Unionists steal his train, his frantic attempts at reclaiming it, and his subsequent contributions to the Confederates and saving Anabelle Lee, do not make him a “true” hero. At the end of the day, his true intention is to save his beloved train (the General), which he deems “one of his true loves”. Just like the drug dealer mentioned above, Johnnie’s true intention is to save his train (not to save Lee or contribute to the war), and the situations he encounters along the way, during which he commits “heroic” actions, are just examples of him going the “extra mile”. We see this is true because he is unaware that Lee is on the train (ie. he first realizes this while he is hiding under a dining table later in the movie), and he is not enrolled as a soldier, indicating that his intention is not to help the war effort nor to save Lee, but rather simply to save the train. Yet, one can argue that the suffering Johnnie goes through to bravely save Lee out of enemy hands makes him a hero. This is untrue, however, because even if he hadn’t noticed Lee in the house, he would still have hit under the table, snuck out of the house at night so as not to be caught, and spent the night in the woods being drenched in the rain because he would have nowhere else to go. The only difference here is that he happened to be so close to Lee that he simply went an “extra mile” and knocked out two guards to get to her. CONTINUED
Nothing could be more coincidental in the scheme of everything he had been through than to have found her in the same building, and not taking advantage of this situation would just make him ashamed of himself. Secondly, one could still argue that his contributions to the war made him a hero; how he set fire to the bridge, how he stole the train with which the enemy was going to provide supplies, how he set up traps to delay the enemy, and how he was vital to success in the actual confrontation. Yet, his true intention when he stole the train was to reclaim his own train, not to prevent the enemy from transporting supplies, and he set up barriers to slow the approaching enemy train simply because he didn’t want to die and have his train recaptured. His burning the bridge to prevent the enemy from passing was a deliberate war effort, but it is simply an example of going the “extra mile”; he was going to pass the bridge to get home anyhow. Many people stop at Starbucks to get a coffee because it is on their way to work; so the bridge was on Johnnie’s way home, he just burned it effortlessly (compared to how much effort he had spent to get his train back). Finally, when he joined a physical confrontation against the Northerners at the bridge site, luck would have it that he would throw his sword on accident and kill an enemy, and then shoot a cannonball vertically due to inexperience and consequently wreck a dam, which would flood the enemy soldiers. His intention was to act as a “general” and guide the soldiers; he had no intention to kill anybody. All his actions were based on luck and he had no intention to commit them.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, it appears that, while Johnnie Grey is no hero, luck puts him into situations in which his action seem “heroic”. Put into perspective, his motives are different than what he ends up accomplishing, which destroys his chance at becoming a “true” hero. I believe Keaton’s point in making this movie is to strike-out at the prospect of military heroism as an ideal, and to point out that many people hailed as “heroes” during the Civil War did not do enough to deserve the title. Sure, probably nobody in the war was as lucky as Johnnie, but the point of the film, in my opinion, is to convey a “secret” message indirectly criticizing the war, so he can get his point across without being punished by the unsuspecting government.
Watching “The General,” it was my impression that nobody set out to re-define a hero. I do not believe that the film meant to portray any deeper meaning such as that. I believe that the film, solely, meant to follow the life of a lucky man, yet unlikely hero for the purpose of humor.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray was definitely meant to be the “Hero” of the film, but that was the simple joke of it, especially considering the time period. He is portrayed as an incapable man, yet lucky enough to achieve heroism. I do not believe that his story was meant to be a satirical stab at what heroism means. This was an early film as far as not only comedies are concerned, but as far as films are concerned in general. Today, comedies have had to get more creative by using things like satire to impress the viewers and keep viewers coming back; however, I would assume that in early comedy, such effort was probably not needed. For example, “The Interview,” a film that we have talked about in class, CLEARLY takes stabs at certain groups of people and certain concepts. There is an obvious sense of underlying satire and judgment. Films like this have had to go as far as to blatantly make fun of the world in order to get a laugh out of people. I found no similar vibe with “The General.” I took it as an innocent comical film that surrounds, mainly, one general gag. Back when this came out, I am sure that this is all that it took to get the audience pretty excited and pretty lively.
Personally, I find it impressive enough that in this time, they were able to pull off such a well-thought story surrounding this simple gag. Considering the time period, I find no obligation to dig any deeper than that.
Although Jonnies actions may seem random and spontaneous, it seems there is some logic to this. He was rejected from joining the army for a reason. This was because he was too valuable of a resource to the south at the time; it was because of not only his ability to work a train but to do that he must have been a very intelligent individual. So it may seem like he is a clumsy man but is really a very intelligent man, I believe he is truly a hero in the story. I think the movie redefines what I can mean to be a hero. When one thinks of a military hero one would think of a large muscular man who uses his strength to overcome obstacles. But in The General Johnnie Gray changes all previous views of this. Johnnie Gray is a small skinny train engineer who has little to no military experience. I believe this tells the viewer that a hero does not have to fit the definition of machismo to be a hero. As it has been said “it is not the clothes that make the man”. I believe this quote is perfect for this topic because if the “clothes” did make the man than that would mean the machismo muscular man who fits the bill of a hero is the only person suited to be a hero; and as one can see in The General this is not a true statement.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Jonnies actions may seem random and spontaneous, it seems there is some logic to this. He was rejected from joining the army for a reason. This was because he was too valuable of a resource to the south at the time; it was because of not only his ability to work a train but to do that he must have been a very intelligent individual. So it may seem like he is a clumsy man but is really a very intelligent man, I believe he is truly a hero in the story. I think the movie redefines what I can mean to be a hero. When one thinks of a military hero one would think of a large muscular man who uses his strength to overcome obstacles. But in The General Johnnie Gray changes all previous views of this. Johnnie Gray is a small skinny train engineer who has little to no military experience. I believe this tells the viewer that a hero does not have to fit the definition of machismo to be a hero. As it has been said “it is not the clothes that make the man”. I believe this quote is perfect for this topic because if the “clothes” did make the man than that would mean the machismo muscular man who fits the bill of a hero is the only person suited to be a hero; and as one can see in The General this is not a true statement.
ReplyDeleteThe whole message of this movie detracts from the theory that Johnnie Gray is a hero. Since this movie is a parody of war Johnnie Gray cannot be perceived as a hero. This whole movie makes fun of the military by very subtle things that happen during the movie. Like in the end, Johnnie Gray is promoted to a general after defeating the Union army troops in a battle. This shows the parody that Buster Keaton attacks about the army and war. It is making fun of the army because Johnnie Gray is able to go from not being allowed to be in the army to being promoted to a general in the span of two days. This is an unbelievable feat no matter who you are. In the movie Buster Keaton writes the movie so that the soldiers seem really dumb and incompetent. They are unable to defeat a man in a train when they have him out numbered by a fairly large margin. Johnny Gray cannot be perceived as a hero because of this. I think that it doesn’t matter that he was with the Confederate army because the movie was blatantly a parody on war. It makes fun of the idea of Heroism because of how incapable the army was the Johnnie gray faced. If the army was anywhere near capable that Johnnie Gray faced he wouldn’t have had a chance. This ruins the chance of Johnnie Gray being perceived as a hero.
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ReplyDeleteWhile Johnnie does have an immense amount of luck throughout The General I believe that he is a hero in some regards. He rescues his darling girlfriend Annabelle while recovering his train in a battle from soldiers of the Northern union who hijacked it. He conquers many obstacles in the battle over his train. After retrieving his train and his woman he was honored with the chance to enlist in the army. While he did defeat the Northern Union, he did not have any experience that would qualify him to be defined as a military hero. Even though he fought of many of the Northern Union soldiers like a confederate would, he did not do it because he has military values but rather to save the train, a personal belonging, and to save his beloved girlfriend, Annabelle. While the Confederate army hails him as a hero for fighting of the Northern Union soldiers, he really didn’t do anything other than what it took to retrieve his belongings. He should not be acclaimed as a military hero, but rather just a hero for saving Annabelle. While he doesn’t qualify as a military hero, he does qualify to be a hero. He saves a woman from danger while retrieving what has been stolen. It is the same definition that we have grown to know in the movies that we have seen throughout our entire lives. Heroism is something that we look for in everything. People in general favor the hero, and in this case in The General, Johnnie is hailed a hero.