a5c7b9f00b Among the earliest existing films in American cinema - notablean early film to present a narrative story to tell - it depicts a group of cowboy outlaws who hold up a train and rob the passengers. They are then pursued by a Sheriff&#39;s posse. Several scenes have color included - all hand tinted. Four gunmen plan to rob a train, not only of its cargo, suchmoney, but the valuables on the possession of the passengers. They are not averse to shooting to kill anyone who is out of line, which includes anyone not listening to their instructions. To pull off their plan, they have to subdue the manager of the station where they plan to board the train, board without anyone noticing that they are doing so, subdue anyone guarding the cargo, and take over the engine so that they stop the train to corral the passengers in one area while they are being robbed, and then make their getaway. Even if they are able to get to this stage, they may have to deal with those who now know what they&#39;ve done, a posse which very well may be on its way. I remember when I first saw this short American landmark film I was drawn right in. My eyes were glued to the TV. I wasn&#39;t even a little bored. I sat and watched for a full 10 minutes and after the watch I had a feeling of sensation. This movie is chock full of action and violence. There isn&#39;t hardly a dull moment, because the action begins right within the first few seconds of the film! Edwin S. Porter sure knew how to draw his viewers in. Probably the best part is the chase scene. And the part where the leader of the gang fires his six-shooter at the camera is all too quick.<br/><br/>The film begins in a telegraphist&#39;s office, where two of the bandits make him send a telegraph to the conductor to stop the train. Then all 4 bandits sneak aboard and make the engineer disconnect the locomotive from the other cars so the thieves can escape. But, in the end the telegraphist&#39;s daughter finds him and unties him. An alarm is given, and the bandits are chased and in the end shot down. Then the part comes where the bandit fires away at the camera to finish the film. I wonder if that was frightening for the audience in 1903? Possibly, but I think enough time had gone by for audiences to know that what they were watching really just an image on a screen.<br/><br/>The print I&#39;ve watched includes hand-coloring in some spots, including the famous image at the end. Mostly, the coloring is used to show explosions of gun smoke, but the dancers in the dance hall have their dresses colored toowellthe banners.<br/><br/>On a side note, the famous shot was not always shown at the end of the film. According to what I&#39;ve read, exhibitors could choose whether to put it at either the beginning or end of the short. As farI know, it is most common for it to be at the end. A lot of the time with oldies you have to acknowledge the film with have more than a few outdated characteristics and probably isn&#39;t a good watch in today&#39;s age. In fact, you can&#39;t come away from a pre- 1930&#39;s film and say it&#39;s anything other than a classic lest you be out casted from the ranks of cinephiles and film buffs. If truth be told, there are a number of silent films that cannot really be enjoyed today. So you can imagine my surprise when I sat down to watch The Great Train Robbery to I found it to be quite the experience.<br/><br/>It&#39;s truly amazing to think that the film is over a hundred years old. Imagine being a member of the audience who first saw it! What must have they though when the obvious dummy was thrown off the train? That would have been very innovative for the time.<br/><br/>You can see why this was such a sensation back then, and why the picture is considered an icon in cinema history. As one of the first movies ever to employ a narrative technique, The Great Train Robbery earns its righta historical landmark. Even then, you can still enjoy it purely on a story level. I was well engaged with the films plot,we (unusually) stayed with the bandit for most of the time and watched them succeed in robbing the train but then fall victim to the wrath of the law. A variety of effective techniques that of course did not include sound or colour or anything else we take for granted in films the movie, the birthplace of the western genre, is able to increase the excitement and suspense levels. From the motion effect inside the train to the scenes filmed in the outdoors, The Great Train Robbery holds up very well. There is even a panning shot and some cross cutting.<br/><br/>Not to mention the classic closing shot of George Barnes emptying his six shooter at the audience at the end of the film. It&#39;s possibly the most iconic scene in movie history. You can only imagine how that affected startled audiences in 1903. As referenced in the closing shot of Martin Scorsese&#39;s Goodfellas, it is one of the best examples of breaking the fourth wall that I have seenÂ…and it&#39;s a hundred and eleven years old.<br/><br/>My Rating: 7.5/10
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