Edison

film 44 of 103

Black Diamond Express

Film Review by Dean Duncan May 27, 2015

That story about those 1895 Parisians jumping out of the way of the Lumières’ incoming train film has always seemed pretty implausible to me. This one makes me wonder, though. You still want to jump out of the way! Perfect camera placement here, and that thing chugging down on us like nobody’s business. Remember those guys in those Black Maria-shot films that would fill out the frame and wave for no particular reason at all? These waving extras make much more sense. The speed and majesty of this approaching juggernaut really does makes you want to bust out, and then probably just get the hell out of the way.