The classical pianist Adrián Begoña is in charge of providing live music for the screening of the film El maquinista de la General (The General), the silent film classic performed and directed by Buster Keaton, this morning at 12 noon at the Cine Embajadores.
One of Adrián Begoña’s specialities is to score films by Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd and other silent film classics, improvising live. In recent years he has done so with more than 25 films in various cinemas, both on piano solo and with other musicians.
Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) is a machinist in a Southern state and has two great loves: his girlfriend Anabelle and a locomotive (The General). In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Johnny tries to enlist, but the army thinks he will be more useful working in the rear. However, Anabelle thinks he is a coward and rejects him. Johnny will only be able to prove his true worth when a Northronist commando infiltrating the Confederate lines steals “The General” from him and kidnaps Anabelle. Johnny won’t hesitate for a second to jump on another locomotive and chase the Yankees to get his two sweethearts back.
