Cal Poly Arts and the Forbes Organ Series will screen Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent action thriller The General at the San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Oct. 22 (7:30 p.m.; $35 at calpolyarts.org).
“This isn’t just a prewritten orchestration set to film, but rather Elliott’s original accompanying compositions, performed live on the Forbes Pipe Organ—creating a ‘historically authentic’ experience of watching a silent film 100 years ago,” Cal Poly Arts announced. “Christian Elliott is a prominent concert organist, equally at home performing the literature of the church and the theater. A distinguished silent film accompanist, Elliott has appeared at venues including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Stanford Theatre, and UCLA. In his San Luis Obispo appearance, he will provide live accompaniment to Buster Keaton’s comedic masterpiece, celebrating the film’s 100th anniversary.”
Orson Welles called The General “the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made.”
The story follows Johnnie Gray (Keaton), a Southern railroad engineer denied military service because his skills were too important at home. When Union spies steal his locomotive with his fiancée aboard, he takes off in pursuit, leading to death-defying stunts.
This article appears in Oct 15-22, 2026.
