The Great Train Robbery (1903) is one of the most popular and important early silent films. It was directed by Edwin S. Porter (1869–1941) for the Edison Company and was enjoyed by audiences for several years after its initial release. What makes this film outstanding is its ambitious length and style of storytelling. Most films of the period lasted only two or three minutes and contained less than a handful of shots. The Great Train Robbery told its story in about twelve minutes, linking fourteen individual shots together to complete a cohesive plot-line. It is also often called the first recognizably modern Western (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2)

The original publicity for this audience pleaser stated that it was meant to present "a faithful duplication of the genuine 'Hold Ups' made famous by various outlaw bands in the far West...