Synopsis
Many critics consider
The General to be the last great comedy of the silent era. Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is also an authentic looking period piece. The title refers not to
Keaton's character, but to his engine, "
The General".
Keaton portrays the engineer Johnnie Gray, who is rejected by the Confederate Army and then suffers the further humiliation of his girlfriend thinking him a coward. When a small band of Union soldiers penetrate far beyond Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in hot pursuit.