it difficult enough to write comment for film around fifty year old but when be talk ilent there another dimension of difficulty inasmuch a one be move into a world of title card and 26 frame per second . on the other hand a truly great film will suffer comparison with the best of late era and so it be here . if one be new to keaton and know only that he be a deadpan comedian who perform hilarious yet often dangerous stunt then this will be something of ( in the word oscar hammerstein put into the mouth of the king of siam ) a puzzlement while it boast a more or less straightforward narrative in which engineer keaton train be steal by union troop during the war between the state and he set off in pursuit . any gags occur naturally within this context rather than be contrive and the film be well for this . i doubt if i can add anything pertinent to previous comment so i will content myself with report that i be glad to have see it at last .