Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Show Yourself

How important is editing to a film? Before the advent of editing, "film" was just a series of life segments. "The Factory Gate" captured workers entering the factory's gate, and "Arrival of the Train" captured a train arriving at the station, both with fixed shots from start to finish with not much of a story to speak of. After the initial curiosity had waned, this "little trick" was deemed dull and boring. Who would want to watch "The Sprinkler" and see how a gardener plays with a hose? It would be better to water one's own garden instead.

Then "The Great Train Robbery" appeared, the first true movie, composed of 14 different shots. The collision between these shots constructed a complete film content. Without any spoken or written language, people could understand it was a story of a gang of robbers robbing a train and ultimately being shot by the police in pursuit.