One of the most cherished comedies of the silent era, and reportedly his own personal favourite, Buster Keaton is Johnnie Gray, a locomotive driver in the South during the American civil war.

When his favourite engine, ‘The General’, is stolen by Yankee spies with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Annabelle aboard, Keaton gives chase in another engine, ‘The Texas’.

Shot using real engines on real locations, the choreography – of the chase scenes especially – is nothing less than jaw-dropping. Keaton’s most famous film is a masterpiece and widely regarded as the first action movie. In the history of cinema few actors have matched the great Keaton’s athleticism, precision and comic timing.