MOVIE · 1926

The General

ActionAdventureComedyDramaRomanceWar79 min

During America’s Civil War, railroad engineer Johnny Gray loses both his locomotive and his girlfriend when Union spies steal The General with an attached boxcar carrying Annabelle. Buster Keaton is Johnny, chasing the train alone and pushing deeper behind enemy lines to get both of them back. Marion Mack’s Annabelle is the reason the theft becomes a rescue as Johnny follows the train into a string of near misses and reversals. Inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, the film turns trains, tracks, cannons, and split-second timing into silent black-and-white comedy.