The Little Train Robbery (1905)

Director:

Edwin S. Porter

Release Date:

1 September 1905 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Action | Crime | Family | Western

Plot:

In this parody of 1903's _Great Train Robbery, The (1903)_ , also made by Edwin S. Porter, young bandits rob the passengers of a kiddie train and are chased by police officers.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Horse | Parody | Train Robbery | Kiddie Train

Directed by
Edwin S. Porter

Cinematography by
Edwin S. Porter

Production Companies

• Edison Manufacturing Company

Distributors

• Edison Manufacturing Company (1905) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

12 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Versailles, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Edison Manufacturing Company

Trivia:

The little train carrying the children appears to have the words "Olympia Park RR" written on its side, which might or might not be an indication of where it was, at least partially, filmed.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edison: The Invention of the Movies (2005) (V)

Kiddie Crimes

Edwin S. Porter, who also directed the groundbreaking Great Train Robbery in 1903, returns here to the same story but changes all of the villains from adults into children. It's not a bad idea (beating Alan Parker by some 70 years) and works surprisingly well, not only as a cute parody of the original film but as a tale in its own right of desperate villains breaking the law and attempting to evade capture.

The film opens with the crook's mastermind issuing instructions to the gang. We then see them riding off to the railway line where they lay a few planks over the line then lie in wait for their victims, the passengers of one of those miniature trains for kids. Having knocked out the driver - who later recovers and wanders into shot when it appears he wasn't supposed to as he looks at the camera for a moment before diving to the ground - the robbers relieve the tiny passengers of their valuables and head back to their hideout where they share out the spoils - bags of sweets. Unfortunately, they don't get much chance to sample their booty before the police appear on the scene and give chase.

Although this is quite a good film for its time it still falls far short of the kind of standards that would prevail only a few years later. Editing is confined to changing shot when the predefined action has been completed rather than to create excitement or tension, and there is no use of close or medium shots.