Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 166

The General

192679 minUnited States

Video edition: YouTube
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 87:26
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

YouTube may apply your personal preferences. If needed, select your language under CC / Settings. YouTube controls playback availability, which may vary by region.

Synopsis

A railway engineer values his locomotive and the woman he hopes to marry. War disrupts both attachments, sending him into a pursuit in which railway machinery becomes a succession of obstacles and opportunities. His practical ingenuity matters more than the military status he lacks.

Cast

Buster Keaton

Johnnie Gray

Marion Mack

Annabelle Lee

Glen Cavender

Union Captain Anderson

Jim Farley

General Thatcher

DirectorsBuster Keaton Clyde Bruckman

Inspirations

The story draws on the Civil War's Great Locomotive Chase through William Pittenger's account. It reverses the historical memoir's Union perspective to follow a fictional Confederate hero, an important distinction between its comedy and its source.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia Internet Archive

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.

Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Buster Keaton — Unknown author · Public domain
Marion Mack — Woodbury · Public domain
Glen Cavender — Sennett Keystone Studio · Public domain
Jim Farley — Unknown author · Public domain

Audience rating

Loading ratings…