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The 110th Anniversary of The Great Train Robbery

Moving images changed with the debut of The Great Train Robbery in December of 1903.  Produced by Thomas Edison, inventor of many audio and visual playback machines, the film began to shift the focus from novelty films such as Carmencita to plot-based cinema.

The Great Train Robbery was one of the first crime dramas and archetype of the western genre.  The film introduced moviegoers to robberies, chase scenes, and gun shoot-offs.  The film was also one of the first to incorporate a full cast of actors and to shoot on-location.

Most of the films preserved at the National Archives were produced by government agencies.  Yet The Great Train Robbery was produced by the Edison Company.  This raises the question, how did it get here?

Learn the answer - and more background to The Great Train Robbery at our Media Matters blog: Media Matters » The Great Train Robbery

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