The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Collection: The Great Train Robbery (1903)

What are the films that shaped the world of cinema? The article series, The Wasteland Collection, will be my curated list of films that helped shape film over the hundred plus years of this medium’s existence. Highlighting the filmmakers, actors, genres, technical advancements, and any other factor that helped the art form as a whole take steps forward in creating what we have today. 

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

What is the film that launched the century long love affair with the western genre? The Great Train Robbery. This film from legendary filmmaker Edwin S. Porter was the film that laid out the blueprint for this genre to explore and grow 100 years after. This is a heist film set in the old west. We have cowboys who are up to dastardly things as they board a train and get away with this bounty. We see them kidnapping a rail operator, throwing a poor man from the train, sticking up a whole train’s worth of passengers, having a celebratory shindig, and going down in an old-fashioned shootout. This 13-minute western has it all!

Outside of being a groundbreaking western, what else does The Great Train Robbery deliver in the history of film? Porter was most known for growing the natural film movement that saw cinema taking on a more realistic approach. Melies shaped genre films like fantasy, science fiction, and horror but Porter brought realistic dramas to the screen. There are no giant matte paintings of fantastic worlds in Porter’s films. These are realistic rooms, spaces, and outdoor settings. We see a few different internal locations in The Great Train Robbery, and they look like real spaces we can walk into. Capturing the real world on location was a brand-new idea and Porter captures this beautiful forest landscape perfectly. The most miraculous fact? This film mixed BOTH indoor and outdoor settings, which was not a common aspect of filmmaking at the time.

What about the usage of cameras? The opening shot (also the closing shot) of this film is one of the most iconic shots in all of cinema. There is a mid-ranged shot of one of the cowboys staring at the camera. Most shots in films at the time were just wide shots to capture the whole scope of the story. So just the zoomed in nature of these reflective shots is revolutionary. But this mustachioed cowboy then aims his gun at the camera at shoots. This would have been shocking and scary for an audience in 1903. For a modern audience, we can feel the influences of such a shot. The iconic James Bond barrel shot is certainly an homage. But Martin Scorsese specifically homage this shot in Goodfellas as Joe Pesci’s Tommy shoots at the audience.

Outside of the influence elements of foundation westerns and technical advancements of film, why else has The Great Train Robbery stood the test of time? This is a thrilling story as well. Heist films are a great bit of fun and crime thrillers certainly have a large audience themselves. You see an operating train on screen and men climbing all over it. These kinds of students are thrilling and groundbreaking. The shootout at the end of the film is staged well and has some brutal moments as well. There is danger, excitement, and action. A great combination.

Why is The Great Train Robbery one of the key pieces of early cinema? This film accomplished so much by just being a 13-minute western. This was a foundational film for westerns and heist films alike. Porter showed the great impact of naturalistic filmmaking. The influence of this film can be felt throughout cinema, even today.