The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
7.4
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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Cast
6 people
Auguste Lumière Director · Louis Lumière Director
United States release June 30, 1896 · Produced in France · Original title L'arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat
Production
Lumière
Production
France
Produced in
Languages
Original title
L'arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat
Original language
French
Spoken on screen
No dialogue
Release dates
France · January 25, 1896
Premiere · This was the first time a version of this was shown. That one was titled "L’Arrivée en gare d’un chemin de fer". This is not the catalogued version that is most famous. That one was shown in 1897. Source: https://catalogue-lumiere.com/arrivee-train-a-la-ciotat/
United States · June 30, 1896
Theatrical
France · October 10, 1897
Limited theatrical · https://catalogue-lumiere.com/arrivee-train-a-la-ciotat/
Czechia
October 15, 2026 · Theatrical · Part of Svět v obraze
Mexico
October 20, 1897 · Theatrical
South Korea
October 10, 1897 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.