The General

In this masterpiece of silent comedy based on a true incident of the Civil War, Buster Keaton is a railway engineer who is rejected by the Confederate army and thought a coward by his girlfriend. When a small band of Union soldiers penetrates far behind Confederate lines to steal a locomotive, he sets off in hot pursuit, resulting in one of the most harrowing and hilarious chases ever filmed. Buster's relationship to the train is at least as touching as his love for Marian Mack, and both get rather rough treatment in this wartime setting—but a little kiss from Buster makes it better.