Often hailed as the first film to employ the narrative structure -- i.e. using the medium of film to tell a complete story -- The Great Train Robbery, like A Trip to the Moon, is so often referenced in pop culture that it is simply a good film to be familiar with.
Specs:
Just 12 minutes long, black and white, with occasional use of hand-drawn color to highlight certain effects. It is easily found online in the public domain.
Our family average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
6.5
More about the film and our response to it:
This is a pretty entertaining film. It features a real, period train and that is a valueable viewing experience in itself. It also sets the bar a good notch higher than "Moon" in terms of being watchable and entertaining to a modern audience.
In addition to the film telling a story, it is notable for its early (first?) use of cross-cut editing between scenes and filming on-location outdoors. There is a realistic effect at the end of the film where the actor who plays one of the bandits points his gun directly at the audience and shoots. This was said to have occasioned panic in the unsophisticated viewers of 1903. Whether or not that story is true, I can at least attest that the moment plays out powerfully.
Note that, even though it is very old, the film is actually rather intense and involves gunfighting, train robbery (duh), and pretty mean looking bad guys. And in families with young or sensitive children, it might warrant a pre-watch. We really enjoyed this film.
Iconic shot:
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