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» » The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Short summary

The first scene shows the chief as he explains to his followers the plan of the great train robbery. Two masked robbers enter and compel the operator to stop the approaching train. They make him write an order to the engineer to take water at this station instead of at the regular watering stop. The train stops, the conductor comes to the office window, where the operator delivers the order while the bandits keep their revolvers trained on him. No sooner has the conductor left when they bind and gag the operator, and hastily depart to catch the moving train. This scene shows the train at the water tank. The bandits are hiding behind the tank, and just before the train pulls out they quickly board the express car wherein the messenger is busily engaged with his duties. Alarmed by the unusual sound, the messenger unlocks the door, peeps through the keyhole, discovers the bandits and quickly locks the iron boxes which contain the valuables. He then throws the key through small window and...

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Ielonere
    This rip-off of Porter's THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY -- you could not actually copyright a movie at this time, so there was no real protection for producers against plagiarism -- is generally supposed to be a scene-for-scene remake, but there are differences: the robbery itself is more violent, as the thieves knock out the guard on the train, then beat his body and throw him off the moving train. Don't worry.... to the modern eye, it is clearly a dummy. Also, the backgrounds are much more clearly stylized backdrops.

    It is interesting to note that even at this stage, Lubin's cameraman was playing with framing technique: the brief dance scene uses some false arches to constrict the scene.
  • comment
    • Author: AfinaS
    This 1904 remake of the 1903 classic is nearly identical, though just not as good. It was made by the Pennsylvania-based Sigmund Lubin company. Maybe it could have used Broncho Billy Anderson as the lead, like the original did!
  • comment
    • Author: Akisame
    I just saw this at an NRHS meeting and its a hoot to see Reading camelbacks in a western set movie. Overall its a real fun movie and its great to see early views of eastern Pennsylvania. Lubin is the original Philadelphia based director who went to great lengths to not cop out and move west. To make westerns he filmed in quarries and covered fields in lime. More people should give this region a chance.
  • comment
    • Author: Quphagie
    Director Siegmund Lubin, who was born in today's Poland, is one of the earliest Eastern-European filmmakers. While he has produced considerably over 3,000 silent films between 1896 and 1916, he only directed four of them. One of these is his take on the famous western classic The Great Train Robbery. Remakes were pretty common these days, so no surprise here.

    The final outcome doesn't differ much in quality from the original, only Lubin wasn't the creative head behind the story. Basically, it has all you'd expect from the genre: horses, country dances, cowboy hats and shootouts. One of the central characters is played by Lubin's daughter here. It's one to watch for silent film enthusiasts or in order to analyze difference and similarities compared to the original, but the rest can very well do without it.
  • Credited cast:
    Emily Lowry Emily Lowry - Little Girl (Telegrapher's daughter) (as Emily Lubin)
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