I'm watching the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die in chronological order:
https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die-all
"The Great Train Robbery is a 1903 American silent short Western film written, produced, and directed by Edwin S. Porter." (Wikipedia)
This film is just over 12 minutes long. The cinematography and sets are impressive for the time. The director makes use of motion in the background to create the feeling of movement. This can create the illusion of false movement in an early scene in the train station that shows a train pulling in, seen through the windows as the robbers tie up a worker at the train station.
I would have liked to see more scenes on the train. It's great to see this early attempt at an action film. The shootout at the end is exciting but the dance scene seems unnecessary.
I can't imagine how an audience in 1903 reacted to the final legendary shot of the man shooting his gun straight at the camera.
You can watch it here:
