The Great Train Robbery (1903)
In the National Film Registry
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13m
Bandits rob a train, sparking a wild chase.
Though a short film by modern standards clocking in at just 11 minutes The Great Train Robbery (1903), a groundbreaking silent film by Edwin S. Porter, broke away from the one-shot, actuality films that dominated the era.
Porter implemented innovative narrative techniques. He strung together multiple scenes, filmed from various angles, to create a sense of continuity and location changes. This was a major leap from the static, single-scene films audiences were accustomed to. The film also featured one of the first instances of a close-up shot, a technique that would become a cornerstone of cinematic storytelling.
The Great Train Robbery's influence on film cannot be overstated. It established a storytelling template — a clear narrative with a beginning, middle, and end — that future filmmakers would adopt and refine. The film's fast pace, exciting action, and audience-engaging close-up became hallmarks of early cinema and laid the groundwork for the Hollywood style that would dominate the 20th century.
While not purely experimental in a modern sense, The Great Train Robbery's innovations and influence on the development of film language solidify its place as a pivotal work in cinematic history.
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