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Short film
Poster for The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

1896 · 1 min

A brief, unadorned glimpse of everyday life, watching a train arrive and people bustle on a platform.

Directed by
Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière
Genres
History, Documentary
Starring
Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Marguerite Lumière
Overview
A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière
Genres
History, Documentary
Starring
Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Marguerite Lumière
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
background-friendly, 1 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • technology
  • work
  • family
Places
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
family
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence none
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror0
Humour1
Realism10
Romance0
Tension1
Darkness0
Complexity1
Emotional weight1

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
history, documentary
Directed by
Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière
Starring
Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Marguerite Lumière, Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière, Rose Lumière, Suzanne Lumière
Cinematography
Louis Lumière
Runtime
1 min
Country
France
Languages
No Language

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