Howdy, folks.
As a new Keaton aficionado, I'm ready to make some purchases, and I would like guidance on the best version of The General to get. I only have a US DVD player and really can't afford to buy another player to give me other zones.
I'm leaning toward Kino Ultimate Edition, since I understand that also comes with some great extras including "The Railrodder' and "Buster Keaton Rides Again", which I'm dying to see.
Chrissie,
The best version of THE GENERAL out there is the Kino Ultimate Edition. Great picture and the choise of three scores. Although it has a number of good extras, it does NOT include THE RAILRODDER (25 mins)/BUSTER KEATON RIDES AGAIN (55 mins). These two films, the latter a documentary on making the former, are probably still out of print, but some Internet searching should yield you a copy or two. (Both films are on the same DVD, on my 2000 Image release.)
The Kino Ultimate Edition is reviewed at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35456/general-the/
THE GENERAL in the Kino THE ART OF BUSTER KEATON box set is of course better than the public domain copies out there (don't bother with those), but has been superseded by the new Kino. There's also a nice version from Mont Alto Private Reserve, a pressed DVD, not DVD-R, with that orchestra's authentic sounding accompaniment. Great print, too. See the review at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/28947/general-the/ (Note that the screen caps comparing Mont Alto's picture quality to Kino refer to Kino's previous edition, not the 2008 Ultimate.)
Good luck. Hope this helps.
Gil
Hm.... sounds like if I want The Railrodder and Buster Keaton Rides Again, I'll have to be buying The General anyway, looking for the 2000 Image version on eBay or something, buying it from somebody who bought the Ultimate Edition. I'm on a limited budget so it's hard to make up my mind, when I can only really afford to buy one, so do I go for the higher quality General, or do I go for getting a three-fer? Decisions, decisions, decisions....
shareThe Railrodder is available for free streaming on the NFB Web site:
http://www.nfb.ca/film/railrodder/
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