When thinking of the American films which have done the most with the subject of trains, one film stands out. The General is the name of Buster Keaton's epic comic masterwork, and the name of the train which is the heart and soul of the film.And masterwork it is - the film still appears on virtually every list of the greatest films ever made .

One of the most ambitious—and expensive—films of the silent era, The General not only features breathtaking comic sequences on board and alongside trains but also a painstaking recreation of the Civil War era. There are hundreds of extras, countless dangerous stunts (Keaton never used a double), and a justly famous moment featuring an actual locomotive on a burning bridge plunging into a gorge.

The film will be introduced by Steven J. Ross, a filmmaker and Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication and Film, University of Memphis

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