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)?
The character Johnnie Gray from the movie The General is a hero, yet far from super. The General demonstrates a simpler and truer to life representation of a hero that we may see in our own lives. This movie shows us that being a hero is about persistently striving towards a noble goal through justifiable actions. Johnnies goals throughout the film were largely acts of selflessness intended to save people of the South. His actions had the same principals as those of a hero, being actions of selfless desires, bravery, good intentions, and determination. One example of Johnnie’s acts of selflessness was his initiation of the train chase scene. The motive behind his actions was the goal of saving someone he loves. Johnnie also did not falter when he realized that he was alone. Leaving the soldiers behind did not make Johnnie cower with fear. He continued onward with the spirit of a hero. Later on, Johnnie returned to the southern troops and alerted them to the enemy which resulted in a victory and possibly saving many lives. Even though he was assisting the confederate army, he was fighting for what he believed in. With retrospect, assisting the confederates was not good, however, he had the Souths best interest in mind. Johnnies determination was unquestionable throughout the film. He continued his endeavors despite struggling through experiences like getting stuck in a bear trap, dealing with some incompetencies of Annabelle, to being rejected from the military. None of these events deterred him from completing his selfless objectives. Johnnie Gray in The General shows that a hero does not need to be super, but have a selfless mission and the appropriate determination to succeed.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Johnnie Gray is considered to be a hero, however he is not one the kids aspire to be when they are young. Gray spends the entirety of the film trying to win over the love of his life’s heart. How does he do this? By being a hero of course; a war hero. The only problem is that the army refuses to accept him as a soldier, so he is forced to go back to his non-heroic train conductor job. Anabelle, his soulmate, gets captured by the Northern enemy. Johnnie Gray decides to do what no other soldier dares, or wants to do, rescue Anabelle. Although his methods are unorthodox and somewhat lucky, he somehow finds a way to rescue his love safely. At this point, the audience can already consider him a hero. Accomplishing a nearly impossible task as a blue collar, low class, train conductor while outsmarting the educated northern men. However the film does not end here. Johnnie Gray continues to be a hero as he saves an entire town from their destruction. If it were not for Gray’s heroism and bravery, the town would have never expected the north to arrive, resulting in their demise.In today’s time General Johnnie Gray is not considered a hero because he was fighting for the Confederacy, however, if we step away from sides, and just look at the definition of a hero, Johnnie Gray fits it perfectly. For this reason, I believe that he can be considered one in this film.
ReplyDeleteI think that Johnnie Gray can be considered a "movie hero," but not necessarily a hero in general/real life. When watching the movie, most people would automatically think that Johnnie is a hero because of the way he risked his life taking on the group of Northern soldiers who hijacked his train. This made him a hero because he risked his life to do the right thing and help other people. Other than this act of courage, Gray got rather lucky throughout his journey to defeat the Northern army in battle. A real life hero would of had to of made all the right moves in order to succeed in the end. Towards the end of the movie, Gray was trying to get one of the cannons working, and while he was trying to do that, two of the other men on his side got shot. This scene did not show heroism because had he known how to work the cannon and get it started, he could have spared the lives of the other two men that were with him. This scene also somewhat makes fun of military heroism because people who are fighting in the military usually aren't this careless with their surroundings, and they would have known how to use all of the equipment necessary for fighting. Johnnie was the type of hero who made the film entertaining, but predictable at the same time. Throughout the movie, it was obvious that no matter how many times Johnnie failed, he was somehow going to come out on top. For these reasons, I do believe that Johnnie is not a real hero and mainly got lucky with all of his successes throughout the film.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray in The General was an early take on creating a character that follows the classic hero’s journey whilst trying to maintain a level of realism to better connect the audience. From a young age it is taught that a majority of stories and fairy tales all revolve around the hero’s journey circle. It has stood the test of time and can be seen in many works of the same time period. The similarities between Johnnie Gray and the hero’s journey begin with a call to action, in this case it is the call for Johnnie to enlist with his girlfriend’s father and brother. However much like in the hero’s journey our main character Johnnie Gray is met with challenges and is rejected from joining the army. This does not stop our hero as he continues to find ways to fight for the confederacy. All of the fight scenes on the train are similar to what would be called the “special world” in reference to the classic hero’s journey. This serves as a proving ground for the hero as he prepares himself for the final challenge. The final challenge that Johnnie Gray faces is the battle for the river as he takes on a large group of northern soldiers. He is successful in helping to push them back and triumphs much like the classic hero’s journey. Johnnie Gray is rewarded for his actions and is given the rank of lieutenant and finally comes full circle to achieve what he started out doing. Much like the classic hero's journey Johnnie Gray in The General follows a similar path and is an example of blending the real world with a fictional style of story in film.
ReplyDeleteThe film The General directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman endorses the standard ideas of military heroism while recognizing the other types of heroism shown by soldiers serving in the Civil War through the actions of characters serving directly and indirectly in the war effort and First, the film recognizes the standard ideas of military heroism when the main character, Johnnie Gray, is promoted to a general at the end of the movie through his heroic actions fighting against the north and warning the southerners of the unexpected northern invasion. Because Johnnie has conspicuously stood out during the war, risked his life to aid the south, and was recognized for his efforts, Johnny symbolizes an example of a military hero. Additionally, the film endorses military heroism by promoting it as the gold standard for soldiers. For example, Annabelle claims that she will break up with Johnnie if he does not enlist in the war effort because being part of the war effort was a high honor and expectation for men during the Civil War Era. When Annabelle’s brother and father see Johnnie leaving the enlistment area, they assume that he does not want to sign up for the war and is an incapable, pitiful, and disgraceful man. Because their opinions of Johnnie only change after he is promoted to a general, signifying that he is a military hero, military heroism is idolized and endorsed through the film.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the film recognizes the other types of heroism shown by soldiers serving in the Civil War through Johnnie and Annabelle Lee’s heroic escape from the northern territory. While Johnny single-handedly pursued a fleeting unit of northern soldiers into their own territory to rescue Annabelle, no one other than Annabelle herself recognizes Johnnie’s efforts. While Johnny’s actions do not endorse military heroism, they signify bravery and courage separate from standard military heroism. Johnnie’s actions show viewers that anyone can be a hero as long as they are brave, courageous, and persistent toward their goals.