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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1582

L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat

18961 minFrance

Synopsis

A steam train enters La Ciotat station as travelers wait, step aside and move along the platform. The approaching locomotive and shifting crowd transform an ordinary arrival into one of early cinema's most recognizable images.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs: 0:51
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Auguste and Louis Lumière · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

DirectorsAuguste Lumière Louis Lumière

Reception and legacy

The familiar story of audiences fleeing in panic lacks contemporary confirmation. The film was first shown in 1896, rather than at the Lumières' celebrated Paris screening of December 1895.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 22, 2026.

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