The General (1927)

Made at the end of the silent era, Buster Keaton's magnum opus picture was a critical and box office failure that lost Keaton his independence as a filmmaker. The General substitutes some of the comedy from Sherlock Jr. for a much stronger dramatic narrative. This was to the dismay of the audience which was expecting to leave the theatre in stitches. I too personally think it loses something in the trade off. The General is massive and tense and shocking at times, but Sherlock was just clean and tight. I think The General can't stand on the drama as successfully as Sherlock can stand on the comedy. Not to say that Keaton didn't make a highly engaging drama that I think outshines almost anything else in the 20s. Its just comparing the succinct, rapid fire comedy of Sherlock Jr. to the far grander, slower comedy-narrative duo of The General, I'm gonna pick Sherlock nine times outta ten. Either way I still really enjoyed it and still admire and respect Keaton's dedication to the gag.

Charlie Chaplin eat your heart out.