Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent comedy *The General* is now available to stream for free on JustWatch TV, which is in beta ahead of a fuller launch in October. The film’s arrival highlights its lasting influence: its physical comedy and daring locomotive sequences have been echoed in later films, including *Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning*.

Though it is now widely regarded as a classic, *The General* was only a modest box-office success on release, and its performance led to a significant reduction in Keaton’s creative freedom. Keaton later said he was especially proud of the film, which drew on a real historical event; Orson Welles called it perhaps the greatest film ever made. It currently has a 92% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.