white supremacy in the general

Question 1

does the general support white supremacy?

Answer 1

• treats its subject matter with an unserious tone and at first glance does not appear to dig into racial politics of its time
• some say the film endorses the confederates ideology of white supremacy
• good guys vs bad guys in the civil war: confederates being the good guys

Question 2

representation of slavery in ‘the general’

Answer 2

• train scene - black people transporting white peoples belongings
• a lot is communicated:
  1. johnny is highly regarded
  2. johnny is a good guy
  3. slavery exists in the generals version of the south
  4. citizens who respect johnny are slave owners
• this scene shows how the films visual language is communicating that slavery is the ‘status quo’

Question 3

analysing the train scene

Answer 3

• black men are depicting back-breaking labour as they are carrying a huge trunk and the men seem to be struggling
• given the 19th century context, these men are not wearing hats, showing their lower status
• what’s disturbing is that the films visual language is suggesting that this upsetting depiction of slavery is how things should be

Question 4

why did keaton not challenge slavery?

Answer 4

• the very first thing we see of the townspeople is an image of slavery. it is the only image of slavery and there are no other black people - which is a political message in itself
• the conception of slavery is not challenged or subverted, or contrasted with something more humane
• is this a factual representation of work black men might have been forced to do in 1862 georgia? - racism was the norm back then
• or, considering keatons aptitude for visual storytelling, is it a stretch to suggest he aligns himself with the old south perspective on slavery?
• when the confederates win, narrative conflict has been resolved and johnny gets annabelle, he waves the confederate flag
• keaton knows the flag represents slavery, so why did he choose to use it?

Question 5

audience of ‘the general’

Answer 5

• in 1926, many former confederates and slave owners, and their children, were still alive - when keaton fretted over audiences he must have had these people in mind
• in the mid 1920s the ku klux klan were at the height of their powers (1924 - 1.5-4 million members)
• could argue that keaton saw which way the wind was blowing - explainting the films nods to white supremacy - the audience would not want to see the confederates as villians as this would’ve been box office poison
• races had different theatres - the general would be playing to all-white audiences
• “you can always make villians out of northerners, but you cannot make a villian out of the south” - showing sympathy, knowing his audience