The General (1926): watch the full film free, legally

Johnnie Gray and the stolen locomotive

Set in Marietta, Georgia, during the American Civil War, The General follows Western & Atlantic Railroad engineer Johnnie Gray, played by Buster Keaton. Johnnie's two loves are Annabelle Lee, played by Marion Mack, and his locomotive, The General. When war is announced, Annabelle's father and brother enlist in the Confederate Army. Johnnie attempts to enlist to please Annabelle, but is rejected because he is more valuable as an engineer. He is not told this reason, and Annabelle believes he does not want to serve. She says she will not speak to him again until he is in uniform.

A year later, Annabelle travels north to see her wounded father, with The General pulling the train. At a meal stop, Union Army spies led by Captain Anderson steal the locomotive and take Annabelle captive. They intend to burn railroad bridges and prevent Confederate reinforcement and resupply. Johnnie pursues them on foot, by handcar and on a boneshaker bicycle. At Kingston, he alerts an army detachment and takes another locomotive, the Texas, but the troops' flatcars have not been attached. He continues alone.

The chase moves north as the Confederate Army of Tennessee retreats and the Union army advances. Behind Union lines, Johnnie overhears plans for a surprise attack and learns that the Rock River Bridge is essential to Union supply trains. He finds Annabelle, and they decide to recover The General. At a railway station, Union soldiers and equipment are being organized for the attack. Johnnie sees a way to warn the South as two Union trains, including the Texas, begin pursuit.

Railroads, Oregon and dangerous stunts

The General is a 1926 American silent comedy released by United Artists. Keaton co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman. In early 1926, Bruckman told Keaton about William Pittenger's 1889 memoir The Great Locomotive Chase, concerning the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase. Keaton, a train enthusiast who had read the book, changed its Union perspective because he did not believe audiences would accept Confederates as villains.

Keaton considered filming where the events occurred and tried to lease the real General, displayed at Chattanooga Union Station. The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway refused when it learned the film would be a comedy. Location manager Burt Jackson found suitable railroads in Oregon and bought two vintage locomotives from the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway. A third locomotive was acquired to portray the Texas. Producer Joseph M. Schenck gave Keaton a $400,000 budget. Keaton prepared elaborate pyrotechnic scenes and hired Mack for the female lead.

The cast and crew reached Cottage Grove, Oregon, on May 27, 1926, with 18 freight cars of material. Set construction started on May 31, and 1,500 local people were hired. Filming ran from June 8 to September 18. Keaton performed dangerous stunts on moving trains, including removing a railroad tie from the track while a train approached. For the climactic train wreck scene, filmed July 23 near Cottage Grove, he used six cameras. Between 3,000 and 4,000 residents watched, along with 500 Oregon National Guard extras.

An initially unpopular comedy

The film premiered in two small Tokyo theaters on December 31, 1926. Its New York premiere at the Capitol Theatre followed on February 5, 1927, after a delay caused by Flesh and the Devil. The bell from the real General locomotive was displayed in the lobby. The film played for one week and made $50,992. Its final budget was $750,000, and it earned $474,264 in the United States.

Initial reviews were largely negative. Variety called it “far from funny” and “a flop.” Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times found the production “singularly well mounted” but said the fun was not plentiful. The Los Angeles Times said it dragged with a long chase. The Brooklyn Eagle gave it a favourable review. The costs and lack of significant profit contributed to Keaton losing his independence as a filmmaker and entering a restrictive Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer deal.

Opinion later changed. In 1963, Keaton said he was more proud of this picture than any he had made. David Robinson praised its authenticity and composition, and Raymond Durgnat wrote of its grey photography and sustained movement. In 1989, the Library of Congress selected The General for the first class of films preserved in the United States National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Film details from the Wikipedia article “The General (1926 film)”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.