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	...	Herself
Marcel Koehler	...	Himself
Mrs. Auguste Lumiere	...	Herself
Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière	...	Herself
Rose Lumière	...	Herself
Suzanne Lumière	...	Herself

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.

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Plot Keywords:

actuality film | train | train station | 1890s | 19th century | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short | Action

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though most of the Lumières' films employed their own employees/family, this one was the arrival of a train full of strangers.

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Connections

Featured in Der letzte Dokumentarfilm (2000)

User Reviews

One of the Most Enduring Images Of Cinema's Earliest Years

This footage of the "Arrival of a Train" is one of the most enduring images of the earliest years of cinema. The often-repeated accounts of the startled reactions to this movie from early audiences, along with the ways that such reactions were commemorated in other early movies such as "The Countryman and the Cinematograph", have made it one of the best-known of the earliest movies, and beyond that, the film in itself accomplishes its own aim very well.

The Lumières discovered very quickly how effective motion towards the camera could be, and that idea is certainly used to good effect here. The diagonal direction of the motion, necessitated by the material being filmed, gives it a distinctive character. Compared with the train, the crowd reactions here are a bit less interesting than they are in some of the other Lumière features that include crowds who know they are being filmed. A couple of them do acknowledge the camera as they go about their business.

Yet even today, the train grabs the viewer's notice, so that the crowd and other details get much less attention. That in itself shows how effectively this enduring classic was able to carry out an interesting idea.