The Great Train Robbery - 1903 Silent Film

This silent film is actually quite comical, reminiscent of vaudeville humor with the exaggerated robberies and the antics of the bandits. The camera work is fairly advanced for the time period, with the angles and set changes. Such as around 3:30 when the camera appears to be sitting on a moving train, allowing the audience to see an aspect of the train which would be unavailable from another angle. It's so interesting how back then directors couldn't rely on words yet still create a story line. There is interesting technology regarding the gunfire shown on screen, while its unknown how exactly this effect was achieved it clearly wasn't graphics of today or real guns so Edison had to have come up with something. The end scene where the bandit shoots at the crowd must have been extremely innovative at the time as engaging the audience with the actors like that was previously unheard of.