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Rejected by the Confederate Army as unfit and taken for a coward by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marian Mack), young Johnnie Gray (Keaton) sets out to single-handedly win the war with his cherished locomotive. What follows is, without exaggeration, probably the most cleverly choreographed comedy ever recorded on celluloid. Johnnie wages war against hijackers, an errant cannon and the unpredictable hand of fate while roaring along the iron rails -- exploiting the comedic potential of Keaton's favorite filmic prop: the train. Insisting on accuracy in every detail, Keaton created a remarkable authentic historical epic, replete with hundreds of costumed extras, full-scale sets and the breathtaking plunge of an actual locomotive from burning into a river.
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