Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this great silent-comedy epic shows the Civil War from a Southern perspective and doesn't condemn (or even touch upon) issues of slavery or secession; it's just not an issue. There is slapstick violence -- never bloody or extreme -- involving cannon fire and explosions and some soldiers shot dead by a sniper (who gets accidentally stabbed dead). As with virtually all Hollywood silent cinema, some of the story requires reading intertitles. Video versions of this movie (including online downloads) vary in picture quality and enthusiasm of the soundtrack music; some DVDs include other silent short subjects as "extras," which might contain questionable elements (black-face minstrel jokes, for example). A recent movie called The General also exists -- but it's a brutal UK mob drama, utterly unrelated to this one, and rated R.

Sexual Content

Not applicable.

Violence

Wartime cannon-fire, plus train and vehicle crashes. A few soldiers shot dead (no blood); others knocked unconscious. One accidental gag death via sword.

Language

Not applicable

Social Behavior

A publicly rejected but valiant hero does his best and succeeds despite overwhelming odds and the fact that everyone else (including his girlfriend) believe him to be a coward.

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Not applicable