The Apartment vs. The General

Caesar

on 1/24/2013

There's a reason why silent films aren't made anymore (the novelty that was The Artist being an obvious exception): they just don't engage the viewer nearly as well as films with sound. Which is why matchups like this seem just a tiny bit unfair; it's almost as if one of the movies is handicapped. At any rate, The General just isn't a very enjoyable film to watch; it's almost unbearably monotonous (it probably would've worked better as a short film). Meanwhile, The Apartment has that great vintage Billy Wilder dialogue (you can actually HEAR the people talk) and an assortment of memorable characters. The General just doesn't have the tools to compete here. C.C. Baxter wins.