The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

France, 1896

Film

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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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Collection

Not in ACMI's collection

Credits

producer

Auguste Lumière

Louis Lumière

production company

Lumière

Duration

01:00

Production places
France
Production dates
1896

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

tmdb-movie-160

Language

French

Subject category

Documentary

TMDB-Movie

160

Wikidata

Q761952

Collected

594 times

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/61157--the-arrival-of-a-train-at-la-ciotat/ |title=The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=26 April 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}