Differences and similarities between “Arrival of a train to the station of Ciotat”

and “Sherlock Jr.”

The Seventh Art it is one of the most outstanding art forms in the world, in the
early days, inventors were already able to develop machines that took photos in
sequence that, when exposed quickly, gave the impression of movement. Among the
pioneers of this idea were the obstinate French brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière
(Villarejo, 2013). This essay will explore to what extend two films from early cinema
are different. I will focus on differences and similarities between Arrival of a train to
the station of Ciotat (1895), (one of the first films made by the Lumière brothers) and
Sherlock Jr (1924). This essay will also focus on Tom Gunning theories.

The contribution of the Lumière Brothers to the entertainment industry is

unquestionable. Cinema has come to be like a well-deserved Seventh Art, and knowing
a little of its history is essential to understand its full magnitude and beauty. On
December 28, 1895, in the first movie theatre (still in existence), called Eden, the first
movie of all time was shown, Arrivée d'un train en gare à La Ciotat (Arrival of a train
to the station of Ciotat). In just under 60 seconds, the first audience followed the arrival
of a train to the station and saw some passengers disembark. The Lumière Brothers
were so aware of what was happening that several people simply fled desperately to the
back of the room in fear of being run over. Plus, the people who were filmed did not
waste time waving at the camera or even turned their faces away in order to maintain
privacy. No one knew what that was, and the immortal scene is perfectly natural. In less
than sixty seconds the character was seen and sent to the revolution that would create
the seventh art (Elsaesser & Barker, 1992, pp. 15-36). On the other hand, Sherlock Jr.,
the indications are great, very well filmed and with an irreparable execution timing. An
investigation of jewel theft by a film projectionist who wants to become a detective
could not have been very accurate, but in the case of Sherlock Jr., it becomes a
masterpiece of cinema. In a time where there were no special effects or even sound in
the movies, making comedy required not only the creativity and intelligence of those
involved, but a camera and film knowledge capable of capturing what is present.
 In terms of differences between these two movies, the biggest difference is, that
the Arrival of a train to the station of Ciotat is considered a non-narrative film, whilst
the Sherlock Jr. movie is considered narrative, and with this in mind, it is possible to
take into account that these two movies are the perfect example of a narrative and a
non-narrative. Following the thought of Tom Gunning, the first films produced between
1894 and 1906 were not concerned with the linearity of the narrative, the plans were
though individually, with the intention of showing the filmed action without much
commitment to the next scene. This period in the cinema was dominated ‘cinema of
attractions’ for the reason of arresting the spectator not by the history itself, but by what
was being exhibited. The intention was to impact the audience with the images. Many
find that this ‘carefree’ aesthetic of a more linear set-up, with a more elaborate plot,
was a flaw in the first films of the story. In terms of scenario, ‘cinema of attractions’ is
very similar to the theatres, due to the fact that the first films were made with a camera
stopped, framing the full body characters, with few movements, preserving the scene
in which the action unfolded. An example are the ‘trick shots’, in which magicians took
the advantage of the illusionist powers of the cameras to do their tricks of
disappearances. For example, the most famous magician of this genre is George Méliès.
The Traditional view holds that Méliès films originated the fictional genre of cinema,
because these films were made in studios with stylized scenes and for portraying the
fantasy of magic. On the other hand, Lumière films originated the genre ‘realistic
documentary’, for using external and natural locations. But this view does not apply to
the first cinema, because in the films there was a mixture of real and authentic scenes,
with scenes made in the studio, using mock-ups. Therefore, there was no clear
distinction between fiction and documentary (Gunning, 2007, pp. 14-17).

There is also, another significant factor by Tom Gunning that needs to be

mentioned, which is the period of the true narravitization of the cinema, this period was
between 1907 till about 1913, is used to explain the overall motion of the narrative
integration in cinema toward storytelling, and with this in mind, Gunning states that
“(…) culminating in the appearance of feature films which radically revised the variety
format (...) The look at the camera becomes taboo and the devices of cinema are
transformed from playful “tricks” (...) to elements of dramatic expression, entries into
the psychology of character and the world of fiction” ( citation quote), these three
elements taken together typify the filmic storyteller( Gunning, 2007, p. 18). During the
decade of 1920s it is possible to observed the culmination of the so-called classic
narrative cinema, the Golden Age of Hollywood. A narrative pattern is set to be
followed in almost every films produced by the American film industry, obeying
criteria such as: the genre of the film establishes how the film will be organized in its
elements like history, sets, scenes, and sound. Sherlock Jr. which is a movie made in
1924 is a good example of a movie with this criteria, on the contrary of Arrival of a
train to the station of Ciotat, Sherlock Jr. also has some peculiar differences that have
to be mentioned such as the importance how films influence and reflect the way how
people think and dress. Equally important is the duration of the film compared to
Arrival of a train to the station of Ciotat, also the actors and actresses become stars and
objects of admiration and imitation, teaching the inexperienced about the novel, love,
courage, among others. Cinema had come a long way from the simple domestic scenes
that people paid to see at the turn of the century, such as the casual scenes of daily life
that the Lumière brothers projected onto the wall of a coffee in Paris. Much less
expensive than live entertainment, movies quickly became the favourite pastime of city
life in both Europe and the United States. People seek in cinema an escape from their
own reality. Taken as an industrial product, the silent film was rendered useless after
his commercial career (Horton, 2010).

From the beginning, inventors and producers tried to match the image with a
synchronized sound. But no technique worked until the 1920s. So for 30 years the films
were practically silent and were often accompanied by live music, sometimes special
effects and narration and written dialogue between scenes, and with this in mind the
films Arrival of a train to the station of Ciotat and Sherlock Jr. shared between them
similarities being both of them silent films. By the same token, Monochrome film, also
known as black and white film, is a film that has only shades of grey, ranging from
white even black, that said it is possible to observe that these two films shared these
concept of similarities.

In conclusion, this essay has discussed the similarities and the differences
between Sherlock Jr. and Arrival of a train to the station of Ciotat, explaining also the
importance of ‘cinema of attractions’ in this period referring Tom Gunning as the
‘father’ of this concept. It is possible to say that cinema in that period came as a surprise
element to the audience, the brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière created the
cinematograph and that would be the precursor of the camcorders as we know it today
and modern cinema. These two movies presented aspects that would revolution the
cinema forever.

References

Elsaesser, T. and Barker, A. (1997). Early cinema. London: BFI Pub.

Horton, A. (1997). Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr.. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Jancovich, M., Monteith, S. and Petley, P. (2013). Film Histories. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, pp.14-17.

Villarejo, A. (2007). Film studies. Abingdon, [England]: Routledge, pp.6-7