Between l arrivee and the great train robbery, you might say that the train was the. At twelve minutes long, the great train robbery is considered a milestone in film making. In buster keatons classic comedy the general 1927, which illustrates the vital importance of trains during the american civil war, the title role is played by a steam engine much beloved by our hero. Since august 1963, when the actual event took place, the robbery has passed into both criminal folklore and popular culture, inspiring numerous films and tall tales along the way. A shooter is cockney slang for a gun, and the words come during the preparations for the crime that came to be known as the great train robbery. The great train robbery is a great tale from beginning to end, enormously well researched to reflect the language and mores of victorian times, and produces great suspense up to a highly satisfactory ending, better yet it tells of a true event that crichton doesnt have to work very hard to embellish. Based partly on the play, the great train robbery, by scott. Feb 18, 2017 the great train robbery remains one of britains most notorious crimes 54 years later. The film was inspired by scott marbles 1896 stage play, and may also have been. The great train robbery free early western film by edwin s. Most influential, significant and important films in. The great train robbery is a 1903 american silent short western film written, produced, and directed by edwin s. A moving visual history 1999 tv miniseries excerpt shown in the 1900s.
After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on. You can see primitive instances of editing in films like rescued by rover great britain, 1904 and the great train robbery 1903. In the 1966 batman tv series episode entitled the riddlers false notion, silent film star francis x. The great train robbery is widely remembered for its closing scene, in which one of the robbers fires his pistol directly at the camera. This study guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the great train robbery. At twelve minutes long, the great train robbery is considered a. The best moments include an ingeniously designed oneroom house, an appearance from the great luke the dog, and some truly divine knockabout between. The great train robberys parting shot silent london. In fact, as nick russellpavier and stewart richards fascinating, if mildly obsessive, new book proves, this was always a myth that handily suited everybody involved. The great train robbery film by porter 1903 britannica. Best train scenes movies best train action sequences. Mystery is, of course, the order of the day in the allstar murder on the orient express 1974. These options are all featured in this diverse library. Michael crichton may be long gone but his books still grab you.
The great train robber that got away has been unmasked as. In the early hours of thursday 8th august 1963 at rural cheddington in buckinghamshire. Watch fulllength feature films, classic shorts, world culture documentaries, world war ii propaganda, movie trailers, and films created in just ten hours. A twopart drama which portrays the great train robbery of 8 august 1963. Silent film star buster keaton 18951966 developed his trademark deadpan expression and acrobatic artistry, according to the author, as a result of the abuse he received from his father, joe.
Jan 10, 20 definitive account of the famous 1963 great train robbery and its aftermath. To talk about violence is to talk about the history of. A group of bandits stage a brazen train holdup, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels. I t is the 50th anniversary of the great train robbery, on thursday. A film comedy is assembled with the same precision as the inner working of a watch. This film, also about twelve minutes in length, does not make an overt reference to the andrews raid but is clearly based on that event. An imaginative, inspired masterpiece of deadpan, passivelyunsmiling, sardonic great stoneface buster keaton comedy. One of the members of the 1963 great train robbery gang has been unmasked as south london cab driver danny pembroke who avoided jail and lived out a comfortable life in kent until his death in 2015. Before edgar wright and wes anderson, before chuck jones and jackie chan, there was buster keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. Comprising 14 separate shots of noncontinuous, nonoverlapping action, the film contains an early example of parallel editing, two credible back. A 15strong gang of thieves attacked a royal mail train on its way from glasgow to london.
Oct 06, 2019 the kray twins were the enforcers behind the great train robbery, a new book has claimed. The whole movie is one extended train action sequence, really, but the. The general is a 1926 american silent comedy film released by united artists. Jan 27, 2020 the great train robbery is a 1903 american silent short western film written, produced, and directed by edwin s.
The great train robbery read online free from your pc or mobile. In 1911 the kalem company produced railroad raiders of 62. An act of audacity, cunning and daredevilry that became a story of tragedy, jinx and violence. The krays were the enforcers behind the great train robbery. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or. How the great train robbery worked history howstuffworks. The great train robbery remains one of britains most notorious crimes 54 years later. Porters the great train robbery 1903 is widely acknowledged to be the first narrative film to have achieved such continuity of action. Aug 03, 2019 one of the members of the 1963 great train robbery gang has been unmasked as south london cab driver danny pembroke who avoided jail and lived out a comfortable life in kent until his death in 2015. Aug 08, 20 i t is the 50th anniversary of the great train robbery, on thursday. Buster keatons silent remains the standardbearer for locomotivethemed comic ingenuity.
Jun 08, 2000 reynolds, a thief by trade, was the mastermind behind the great train robbery of 1963 for which he subsequently served 10 years of a 25year sentence, and is a man intimately acquainted with the. Many of these videos are available for free download. Early on the cuts were made in the camera, so that the cameraman would simply stop cranking at the exact end of a shot, and begin cranking again when it was moved somewhere else, or when something else was put in. Master comedian 2002, and buster keaton remembered 2001.
The idea that the great train robbery was a masterpiece of planning and execution by the cream of britains villains has been strangely persistent. Filmed in november 1903 at edisons new york studio, at essex county park in new jersey, and along the lackawanna railroad and released in december 1903, the great train robbery is considered to be one of the first significant early us narrative films. The great train robber that got away has been unmasked as a. With his trademark porkpie hat, floppy shoes, and deadpan facial expression, buster keaton 18951966 is one of the most iconic stars of hollywoods silent and early sound eras. Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in victorian london and edward pierce easily navigates both worlds. The great train robbery is a 1903 american silent short western film written, produced, and. On board, staff sorted the mail and parcels prior to its arrival in london. London, 1855, when lavish wealth and appalling poverty exist side by side, one mysterious man navigates both worlds with perfect ease. The great train robbery is a 1903 american western film written, produced, and directed by edwin s. Porter film, the great train robbery is a dramatization of the famous first holdup of a moving train in 1855 england. British criminal ronnie biggs, best known for his part in the 1963 great train robbery, has died at the age of 84. To talk about violence is to talk about the history of the. His books include douglas fairbanks uc press, 2008 and a trilogy of volumes published by abrams on comedy legends. The great train robbery 1903 film wikimili, the best.
One of the most infamous robberies of all time, 1963s great train robbery involved the hijack of a londonbound train, and the theft of millions of pounds. Greatly influenced by the british film daring daylight robbery 1903 it introduced many. Though a western, it was filmed in milltown, new jersey. Reynolds, a thief by trade, was the mastermind behind the great train robbery of 1963 for which he subsequently served 10 years of a 25year.
Spoken by one criminal to another, they are no shooters. Synopsis a unique illustrated survey of keatons life and films, recalled by his wife of 26 years, eleanor keaton, and film historian jeffrey vance. What is the great train robbery of 1963, who was in the gang. Jun 01, 2017 the great train robbery was one of the most daring, ingenious and infamous heists of the twentieth century. The cast of criminals included bruce reynolds, douglas gordon goody,ronald buster edwards, charlie wilson, ronnie biggs, roy james, roger cordrey, tom wisbey, jim hussey, bob welch, brian field, leonard field, jimmy white, william boal and john daly. The great train robbery is a historical novel by michael crichton. Buster keatons revered and mostremembered film set the bar so high for. Since august 1963, when the actual event took place, the robbery has passed into both more. The great train robbery read online free by michael crichton.
To find out that the great train robbery is a true story, even though the book is historical fiction, makes it even more interesting. It took fifteen men to pull off the great train robbery of 1963, along with a few accomplices. Nov 21, 2015 before edgar wright and wes anderson, before chuck jones and jackie chan, there was buster keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. Jul 10, 20 the train, the robbers, the railwaymen and the postmen made the headlines as one of the most legendary crimes in british history took place.
The great train robbery was one of the most daring, ingenious and infamous heists of the twentieth century. Books similar to the great train robbery goodreads. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the citys most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century, the daring theft of a fortune in gold. Keatons career was fascinating and dramatic, spanning the history of twentiethcentury american comedy, both in vaudeville and in cinema. Those lumiere brothers had it right there is something undeniably cinematic about the locomotive, which appeared in the firstever celluloid in 1896. After tampering with the lineside signals in order to bring the train to a halt, a gang of. Additional holdings for this title may be available. His elaborate sets, careful camerawork, and risky pratfalls have been mimicked by film comedians for generations. Other articles where the great train robbery is discussed. Frank gallop narrates the great chase, a 1962 documentary that highlights action footage from such silent movie favorites as buster keatons the general 1927, pearl white in the perils of pauline 1914, douglas fairbanks in a swashbuckling the mark of zorro 1920, edisons pioneering the great train robbery 1903, william s. It is generally regarded as one of the greatest of all silent comedies and keatons own favorite and undoubtedly the best train film ever made. Buster keatons revered and mostremembered film set the bar so high for physical comedy that even now, 83 years. After graduating summa cum laude, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the salk institute in california before becoming a fulltime writer and film director.
It was inspired by the great locomotive chase, a true story of an event that. Edward pierce preys on the most prominent of the welltodo as he cunningly orchestrates the crime of his. A shooter is cockney slang for a gun, and the words come during the preparations for the crime that came to. The film stars buster keaton who codirected it with clyde bruckman. The entire novel is based on the story of one of the most notorious train robberies in england. Based on the story of ronald christopher buster edwards phil collins. With fess parker, jeffrey hunter, jeff york, john lupton. Most popular train robbery movies and tv shows imdb. Jun 08, 2015 the best moments include an ingeniously designed oneroom house, an appearance from the great luke the dog, and some truly divine knockabout between keaton, joe roberts and keatons father, joe. The film used a number of thenunconventional techniques, including composite editing, onlocation. Georges melies, victor andre, bleuette bernon, brunnet. The violent criminals took mysterious trips to glasgow before the heist, were friends with known robbers.
Buster, a film about his role in the great train robbery, was made in 1988, with edwards played by phil collins. His carefully researched novels included eaters of the dead, the terminal man, the great train robbery, congo, sphere, jurassic park, rising sun, disclosure, the lost world, airframe, and micro. From the bestselling author of jurassic park, timeline, and sphere comes an enthralling novel about victorian londons most notorious gold heist. Definitive account of the famous 1963 great train robbery and its aftermath. The fact that britains crime of the century was carried out by unarmed men. The great train robbery, 1963 british transport police.
The story of a stoutofheart train conductor pining for his lost love and beloved train the general. Its a play on jean cocteaus movie, the blood of a poet. During the civil war union spy andrews and his men volunteer to steal a confederate train and drive it to union territory while destroying the confederate railway system along the way. The 15 holdup men, wearing helmets, ski masks, and gloves, were aided by two accomplicesan anonymous.
1108 196 1154 1524 939 340 1199 419 1321 1178 318 1150 30 1389 639 1277 1354 1210 1204 1505 1087 1022 80 207 744 376 1013 1361 456 1265 869 881 451