On December 1, 1903, the first western in the history of cinema was presented in Washington, United States. Edwin S. Porter’s “The Great Train Robbery” was only nine minutes long, and American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was the first to experiment with moving images. In Europe, the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière created the video camera and, in December 1895, promoted the first public session, in Paris, with the exhibition of ten films. The succession of images projected on the screen told stories: it was the birth of cinema.
Because they were silent, the early films could be seen anywhere in the world. In a short time, the European invention conquered the New World.
rudimentary texture
The copies were made in Thomas Edison’s laboratory, where a certain Edwin S. Porter worked. The lab assistant knew how to edit tapes and handle cameras. Also, and above all, he was talented. His ambition was to produce his own film, an American film. In early December 1903, The Great Train Robbery premiered.
The film runs between nine and eleven minutes, depending on the version. Even if rudimentary, it tells a story. Porter depicted an event that every American could understand at the time.
The railway, which was installed from east to west of the country, was a matter of honor for the United States at the end of the 19th century: it not only transported everything important, but was also a favorite target of gangsters. Thieves such as Jesse James, Sam Bass and Bill Doolin were figures in criminal history in the 1870s.
“Happy ending”
Now the public can see what they have previously read in the newspaper. A gang of thieves gets the better of a station master, stops the train, robs the passengers and disappears. But there may be a happy ending. The gang was surrounded in the woods and arrested.
Already in its early days the western included unmistakable characters and elements: cowboys, horses, saloon women and lots of nature. The names of the actors of this new genre that started there, however, were no longer saved, as the film had no subtitles or characters. The cinema itself fascinated so much that it did not need stars.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
