The Arrival of a Train (1896)

A train arrives at La Ciotat station.

Directors:

Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière

Stars:

Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Mrs. Auguste Lumiere

Cast

Credited cast:
Madeleine Koehler	...	Self
Marcel Koehler	...	Self
Mrs. Auguste Lumiere	...	Self
Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière	...	Self
Rose Lumière	...	Self
Suzanne Lumière	...	Self

Storyline

A group of people are standing in a straight line along the platform of a railway station, waiting for a train, which is seen coming at some distance. When the train stops at the platform, the line dissolves. The doors of the railway-cars open, and people on the platform help passengers to get off.

---

Plot Keywords:

actuality film | year 1896 | train | train station | 1890s | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Short

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since this was the first motion picture some people had ever seen, reportedly audience members in the front row sometimes attempted to jump out the way of the train, as they thought it was going to hit them.

---

Connections

Referenced in Filmstunde: Filmstunde 4 (1992)

User Reviews

I Love the 90's...the 1890's!

Like the notorious inflation adjustment that gives Gone With the Wind (1939) the unbreakable box-office high, a slight technological adjustment given the time (109 years ago!) gives Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895) the best special effects ever (relatively speaking, of course). Forget King Kong (1933), throw out Star Wars (1977), Arrival of a Train' blew audiences away with a little thing called moving pictures. There's a classic rumor of audiences running away from the movie screen, expecting the train to crash right through! As scary as Kong was, nobody expected him to reach into the audience and pick out a few snacks!

Also, it may not have been all that intentional, but the composition of this static, one-minute shot is excellent, and still unrivaled. The perspective of the train zooming past the lens like a wild stampede, the quick stop, then, the explosion of activity: people coming, going, on the train, off the train. What crisp energy! What a film! Viva la Lumiere!

Details

Country:

France

Language:

None

Release Date:

25 January 1896 (France)

Also Known As:

The Arrival of a Train

Filming Locations:

La Ciotat, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lumière

Technical Specs

Runtime:

1 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.31 : 1