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The Great Train Robbery (1903) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   3,414 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Train Robbery on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 December 1903 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
A group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
[DVD Review] Come Hell or High Water
 (From JustPressPlay. 7 April 2009, 4:50 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
Porter's innovative early film more (52 total)

Cast

  (in alphabetical order)
A.C. Abadie ... Sheriff (uncredited)
Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson ... Bandit / Shot Passenger / Tenderfoot Dancer (uncredited)
George Barnes ... (uncredited)
Justus D. Barnes ... Bandit Who Fires at Camera (uncredited)
Walter Cameron ... Sheriff (uncredited)
John Manus Dougherty Sr. ... Fourth Bandit (uncredited)

Donald Gallaher ... Little Boy (uncredited)
Frank Hanaway ... Bandit (uncredited)
Adam Charles Hayman ... Bandit (uncredited)
Morgan Jones ... (uncredited)
Tom London ... Extra (uncredited)
Marie Murray ... Dance-Hall Dancer (uncredited)
Mary Snow ... Little Girl (uncredited)
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Directed by
Edwin S. Porter (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Scott Marble  story (uncredited)
Edwin S. Porter  uncredited

Cinematography by
Blair Smith 
Edwin S. Porter (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Adam Charles Hayman .... camera operator (uncredited)
Blair Smith .... additional camera (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Runtime:
11 min (18 fps) (TCM print)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White (hand-colored)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:TV-G (TV rating)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The original camera negative still exists in excellent condition. The Library of Congress, who holds it, can still make new prints. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the bandits rob the train and drive away with the engine it is on the right rail-track. When they stop to proceed on horseback the train is on the left. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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12 out of 12 people found the following review useful.
Porter's innovative early film, 8 May 2004
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

This film, often lauded as one of the first movies to include a linear narrative within its running time, came out of the Edison company over a hundred years ago, following their experiments in the previous decades with shorter topical pieces such as cockfighting, dancers, and other limited scenarios.

'The Great Train Robbery' is a simple enough story - a train is robbed, there is a shoot-out. The interesting scenes for me were the ones where the passengers are held at gunpoint while their valuables are collected, the shoot-out with its hand-coloured bursts of gunfire, and the famous final shot where a gun is fired directly at the audience. Not too frightening now, but back in those days this was quite an innovation.

Historically important and with a basic plot still in use today, this film holds significant interest for a wide audience (and will take less than a quarter of an hour of your time to view).

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