The General was a flop when it came out and is now regarded as a cinema masterpiece. And rightly so.

Buster Keaton was not just a genius comic performer: he was also one of the first truly inventive director's of American cinema, as evidenced here. The train chase sequences are still mesmerising today and (given that this is a work from the silent age) the fact that Keaton does all his stunts is obvious and thrilling.

There are no special effects here: everything is real. Here's an example: at one point, a burning bridge falls apart as a train engine drives through it and the resulting crash is spectacular thanks to the lack of use of models or optical effects of any sort.

Keaton was always very funny. His humour may not be aimed at making audiences burst out laughing, but if you ever see this film in a cinema screening, look around and notice how many people's jaws are dropping.

Like Chaplin and many others, Keaton started out in Vaudeville, but unlike many of his contemporaries who also ended up in film, he saw cinema as something that gave him the chance of doing comic routines that were impossible to do on the stage, hence his love for playing around with big machinery (such as trains on this film) and filming on location either in cities or in the countryside (as is the case here). He uses very interesting angles and moves or places the camera in an unusual way for the age.

The General is funny, sweet and very exciting. Everyone should see it.