The General (1926)
“One engineer, one stolen locomotive, one war to outrun.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
When the Civil War erupts, Southern railroad engineer Johnnie Gray is turned away from enlisting because he is more valuable driving his beloved locomotive, The General, leaving his sweetheart Annabelle Lee convinced he is a coward. When Union spies steal The General with Annabelle aboard, Johnnie gives chase single-handedly, deep behind enemy lines. He must rescue both his girl and his engine, then race back to warn the Confederate army of a surprise attack — all in one long, ingenious locomotive pursuit packed with daredevil stunts.
Cast
About the Director
Buster Keaton — Buster Keaton was one of silent cinema's greatest comedians and filmmakers, famed for his deadpan "Great Stone Face" and elaborate, dangerous stunts performed without doubles. On 'The General' he co-directed with Clyde Bruckman, co-wrote, produced, co-edited, and starred — performing the risky train stunts himself. It is widely regarded as the fullest expression of his comic and technical genius.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
'The General' is in the public domain because its copyright claimant failed to renew the registration in the 28th year after publication, sending the original 1926 film into the public domain in 1954.
Behind the Scenes
Keaton based the film on William Pittenger's 1889 memoir of the real 1862 Great Locomotive Chase, reversing the story's point of view so the Confederate engineer would be the hero. It was shot in and around Cottage Grove, Oregon, using vintage locomotives, with roughly 1,500 residents hired as extras. The climactic scene — in which the locomotive Texas crashes through a burning bridge into the river below — was filmed July 23, 1926, with six cameras and is reputed to be the single most expensive shot of the silent era; the wreckage stayed in the riverbed as a tourist attraction until it was scrapped during World War II.
Did You Know?
- Keaton performed his own stunts, including riding a moving locomotive's connecting coupling rod in a single take that could have killed him had the wheels slipped.
- Cottage Grove declared a local holiday so thousands of residents could watch the bridge-crash filmed live, with 500 Oregon National Guardsmen serving as soldier extras.
- The film flopped on release and was so costly that Keaton lost his creative independence, pushed into a restrictive deal with MGM.
- Orson Welles called it "the greatest comedy ever made... and perhaps the greatest film ever made."
Reception & Legacy
Panned by critics on its 1927 release, 'The General' has since been reappraised as one of the greatest films ever made and a high point of silent comedy. It was selected in 1989 for the inaugural class of the U.S. National Film Registry and recurs near the top of AFI and Sight & Sound greatest-films polls.
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