#3: L'arrivée d'un train á La Ciotat (1895)

There are people who like trains, and then there are people who REALLY LIKE TRAINS. Most of them are toddlers and graffiti artists.* Once upon a time, in an overgrown public park, a drunk carrying a 40 in a paper bag offered to take me to the rail yard and teach me how to tag trains in exchange for piano lessons. Then, he proceeded to scrawl my name in Sharpie on a utility room door. I should have told him then, that "trainspotting" is more than a euphemism for shooting heroin. [I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried, folks.]

...and then there are "Railfans,"-- i.e. "obsessive train people." No, really. There are quite literally millions of train photos floating around in Railfan forums on the internet. Given a sunny day, free of obligation and worry, one might find a Railfan perching on a grassy knoll or concrete platform, camera in hand, waiting patiently for the 2:19. [Yes, yes that was a Tom Waits reference.] I blame the concept of "Manifest Destiny" and the Lumière Brothers.

Number 3 on the film list is L'arrivée d'un train á La Ciotat, or The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat. The Lumière Bros. used a single real-time shot to establish perspective, and the train seems to bear down on its audience. This gave rise to the urban legend that the audience jumped out of their seats and left the theater screaming at the film's premiere, because they believed that the train would jump off of the screen and barrel into them. It sounds like a whole lot of exaggeration to me, but it stands to reason that an audience unfamiliar with film as a medium would probably be a bit shocked by what they were seeing. The original film was silent, but I chose this version because the soundtrack is taken from Listz's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, which achieved almost instant fame when it debuted in 1851, and has become a staple in popular culture, ever since.

There are many references to L'arrivée... in modern film, including the recent Oscar-winner, Hugo. Imitation being the greatest form of flattery or somesuch, I couldn't resist posting this carefully recreated Playmobil homage. Props to the creator(s) for their attention to detail.

(Note: There is some terrible sound clipping in this video, so you would be wise to turn down the volume prior to pressing "play.")

*To be fair, trains are pretty awesome. I am particularly fond of old steam engines, the rhythmic quality of train noises, and "ghost whistles." That said, I have met only three bonafide Railfans, and two of them were incredibly creepy.

Now, go! Watch things!