1903/USA 12 mins Dir: Edwin S. Porter
Based on: The Great Train Robbery by Scott Marble (Play)
The Great Train Robbery is often called the first Western and pretty much does what it's title suggests.
A telegraph operator is forced by armed bandits to send a false message to stop a train and bandits proceed to rob it, killing several people in the progress. They escape on horseback but the telegraph operator manages to send a message and the robbers are pursued by a large group. A gun fight ensues and the robbers are all killed.
In terms of story, it's really not inventive. There's no real discernible characters beyond the telegraph operator who is largely helpless and the idea of robbers being pursued and killed is a classic format.
What is interesting in this piece is it's sophistication as an early film. It has over a dozen scenes, each of which moves the story along. It also uses different camera angles and tells it's story in what we would not describe as a cinematic way.
I can't help but point out the hilarious overacting of the people who are shot. They leap in the air and clutch their bodies before eventually falling dead on the ground. I assume it's a way of making it really clear what has happened to them but this aspect doesn't stand up well today.
The film ends with a shot of one of the bandits appearing to shoot directly at the viewer, a lot like James Bond at the start of his movies. The shot is probably the best in the film even if it has nothing to do with the plot. It's a camera angle which would have been revolutionary at the time and the idea of immersing the audience into the film is great.
There's not a lot to get excited about here in terms of story or acting but as a piece of film history this is an interesting watch.
Comments
Post a Comment