THE ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN

Despite its undemanding plot (it shows the arrival of the train at La Ciotat and passengers going past the carriages) it became an emblematic cinematic work because for the first time in history it conveyed movement in perspective on a flat screen. The train appeared in the distance, crossed the screen diagonally and left the frame creating the an illusion of space. The film also showed long, medium and close-up shots of people in the same frame for the first time. It was a significant achievement of the nascent art.