Public Domain clip of Buster Keaton's "The General"

[IsabelDhampir82]

I love Bster Keaton and clasic cinema. Thanks for this!!.

[marius478]

I love Buster Keaton.

[srvinfinity]

Great to see the film at the normal speed. You can really see how he worked his stunts out perfectly. But Keaton liked them faster cause it gave them "pep". What an Athlete and genious. I hear this film is in HD now! I saw a trailer on here and it looks phenomenal!!

[danlefou]

The tracking shots are brilliant and innovative. Miles of road were built alongside the track for the camera car.

The locos' inside valve gear can be clearly seen working; this is still the best movie footage of early 4-4-0s in action, and a valuable historical document.

Beautiful engines, though not nearly as ornate as the real "General" and "Texas".

[danlefou]

The gun is an accurate copy of a Federal rail-mounted mortar called the "Dictator",

used in the siege of Petersburg, Virginia in 1864. It could fire a 13-inch shell two miles on 14 lb of powder!

Keaton's replica was presumably much lighter and not solid, but it certainly looks the part.

[digimaks]

Imagine, sititng on the front bumpe of the locomotive with that heavy wood spike? Jist slip down a bit and you would get you feets and legs grinded under the bumper, and maybe the rest of the body too.... ouch. eehh...!

Even if engineer would react quick, still it takes time for the over 40T weight locomotive to fully stop!

Very risky!

[luisfiori]

Un verdadero genio, solo superado por Chaplin.

[robertmilisits]

WOW!

[haldiraragorn]

I love this movie! The man's a genious.

[alienorbiter]

Awwesome ! I have an idea. Put a techno track under that video.

[mrpossibilities]

My God, those are amaizingly complex sequences

[Tenoch420]

imagine the logistics of that shoot

[mrpossibilities]

I'm trying to

[Jnelson09]

Keaton counted out individual grains of powder to make the cannon fire properly.

[ActiveStorage]

and he actually made a joke based on that fact haha.. amazing imagination and stunt skills..

[fishhead06]

Keaton: A great comedian and a FANTASTIC stunt man.

[LeboviciAB84]

TRAINZ!!!

[nick7772]

CLASSIC!!!