Considered by some to be the first ever western, Edwin S. Porters 1902 short is arguably the first landmark movie of American cinema.
By modern standards it is incredibly simplistic. A group of outlaws burst into a telegraph office and force the operator to send a false message before tying him up and proceeding to hold up a train and its passengers. They escape but the telegraphed operator is discovered and a posse gives chase, culminating in a gun battle finale.
What set this film apart at its time is the use of narrative to tell a story. Following Lumieres' Le Voyage Dans La Lune the previous year, Porter crafts an enjoyable tale that set standards for what was to follow in their respective genre. Hold ups, gunmen, posses, horseback chases, shoot-outs they're all here and tied together coherently and with the confidence to not simply follow the outlaw protagonists from A to B. The film may not boast special effects or any intellectual layers, but it did set a template of basic cinematic language. Similarly, the final shot of a gunman blasting directly into the camera* is an iconic moment that brought audiences directly into the firing line.
The Great Train Robbery may not seem much more than a curiosity to some now, but it is more than that. Simple but enjoyable and a must for all film lovers.
By modern standards it is incredibly simplistic. A group of outlaws burst into a telegraph office and force the operator to send a false message before tying him up and proceeding to hold up a train and its passengers. They escape but the telegraphed operator is discovered and a posse gives chase, culminating in a gun battle finale.
What set this film apart at its time is the use of narrative to tell a story. Following Lumieres' Le Voyage Dans La Lune the previous year, Porter crafts an enjoyable tale that set standards for what was to follow in their respective genre. Hold ups, gunmen, posses, horseback chases, shoot-outs they're all here and tied together coherently and with the confidence to not simply follow the outlaw protagonists from A to B. The film may not boast special effects or any intellectual layers, but it did set a template of basic cinematic language. Similarly, the final shot of a gunman blasting directly into the camera* is an iconic moment that brought audiences directly into the firing line.
The Great Train Robbery may not seem much more than a curiosity to some now, but it is more than that. Simple but enjoyable and a must for all film lovers.