# Cameron Carpenter at Davies Symphony Hall, March 27, 2022

[San Francisco Symphony](https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2021-22/Buster-Keatons-The-General-Silent-Film-with-Organ) presents Buster Keaton’s _The General_ (1926) — featuring original musical accompaniment by [Cameron Carpenter](http://www.cameroncarpenter.com/)  
[Davies Symphony Hall](http://www.sfsymphony.org)  
[201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=201+Van+Ness,+San+Francisco,+CA+94102+USA&hl=en)  
3:00 PM, Sunday, March 27, 2022

[[2022-03-26|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2022|Up to the 2022 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2022#March_events|Up to the 2022 event list!]] ☸ [[2022-03-27-2|On to the next event!]]

[{{:2022:2022-03:Keaton_polishing_the_General.jpg?300|Keaton polishing the General}}]

## One Set

[3:00 PM] {lights down, announcements}  
[3:01 PM] {CC out}

01. [3:01 PM] Opening Title & credits
02. [3:02 PM] Prologue: "The Western and Atlantic Flyer speeding into Marietta, GA, in the Spring of 1861."
03. [3:04 PM] A Visit with Annabelle Lee
04. [3:07 PM] At the recruiting office in downtown Marietta, GA
05. [3:11 PM] Back at the Lee house
06. [3:12 PM] Annabelle confronts Johnny and spurns him
07. [3:13 PM] The Main Story, 1862: In a Union encampment just North of Chattanooga, TN
08. [3:15 PM] Back at the Marietta, Georgia train station: Annabelle snubs Johnny again
09. [3:16 PM] Stop at the Big Shanty, GA, train station: the _General_ is hijacked!
10. [3:18 PM] Handcar chase
11. [3:19 PM] Bicycle chase
12. [3:20 PM] At Kingston, TN, train station: Johnny takes the _Texas_ locomotive
13. [3:21 PM] Johnny acquires a rail-car howitzer
14. [3:21 PM] Watertower stop
15. [3:22 PM] Johnny fires on the union men
16. [3:25 PM] Boxcar blockade & derailment
17. [3:n PM] Sidetracked and stuck at the switch
18. [3:29 PM] Burning Boxcar
19. [3:31 PM] Subtitle: The Southern army facing Chattanooga is ordered to retreat.
20. [3:32 PM] Subtitle: General Parker's victorious Northern army advancing.
21. [3:33 PM] The Trestle Bridge
22. [3:34 PM] Johnny in the woods; rain storm
23. [3:35 PM] Subtitle: In the enemy's country
24. [3:35 PM] Johnny learns of the Northern attack plan & spies Annabelle
25. [3:40 PM] Johnny rescues Annabelle
26. [3:42 PM] Caught in a bear trap!
27. [3:44 PM] Johnny steals back the General
28. [3:49 PM] Johnny cuts the telegraph
29. [3:50 PM] Johnny recovers Annabelle from the baggage car
30. [3:52 PM] Firewood stop; Annabelle lays a trap
31. [3:54 PM] The Texas is arrested by the trap
32. [3:56 PM] Watertower gag reprise
33. [3:58 PM] Stoking the tender with a toothpick
34. [3:59 PM] the Texas overtakes the General; the Columbia rear-ends the Texas
35. [4:00 PM] Johnny sabotages a switch; Annabelle leaves him behind
36. [4:01 PM] A Three-train collision is narrowly averted
37. [4:02 PM] Johnny builds a pyre on the Rock River Bridge
38. [4:05 PM] Johnny changes back into Confederate grey
39. [4:06 PM] Johnny rallies the South at Divisional Headquarters
40. [4:07 PM] Annabelle reunites with her dad
41. [4:08 PM] The Union engineer finally fixes the switch
42. [4:09 PM] General Parker orders Captain Anderson and The Texas to cross the fire-damaged bridge
43. [4:10 PM] Battle at the river between the North and South
44. [4:11 PM] Johnny and the artillery team
45. [4:14 PM] Johnny blows up the up-river dam; the flood sweeps away the Union troops
46. [4:15 PM] Johnny captures Union General Thatcher
47. [4:19 PM] Finale: Johnny & Annabelle reunited while troops parade by  
[4:20 PM] {the film ends; CC makes 3 curtain calls to bow and accept cheers; no Encore today}


## Performers

* [Cameron Carpenter](http://www.cameroncarpenter.com/): organ.

## Notes

What a funny film! I think the last time I saw it the accompanist was Marc Ribot, but strangely, no evidence for that memory appears in my show-going history. Cameron's musical choices this afternoon seemed to me to be like musical wallpaper: effective for setting a scene, but not particularly something meant for more active listening: I wonder if he's ever talked about that issue. Anyways, I heard lots of hints of old tunes: _Yankee Doodle_, Stephen Foster compositions, et cetera.

I pulled the long list of scenes/cues noted above from the extensive synopsis posted at the [Filmsite Movie Review](https://www.filmsite.org/gene.html)... following that list as the movie ran was slightly distracting, but it also helped me keep track of the overall proceedings, and reading the synopsis helped prepare me spot many details I probably would have overlooked while watching the film. Speaking of which, the version shown seems ripe for a 4K restoration; hopefully the next time I see it the film will be presented in better repair!

[Program Notes](https://sfsymphony.encoreplus.app/posts/103515/0327-buster-keatons-the-general) or {{:2022:2022-03:20220327pn.pdf|program notes}}

## Photos

No photo gallery today: ol' squinty just can't handle the responsibility!

{{tag>music film Cameron_Carpenter Davies_Symphony_Hall Buster_Keaton the_General}}

[[2022-03-26|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2022|Up to the 2022 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2022#March_events|Up to the 2022 event list!]] ☸ [[2022-03-27-2|On to the next event!]]