. . . as the heroine of the Edison Motion Picture Company's 11 minute, 32 second short, TRAIN WRECKERS (1905) strips off a petticoat of some sort to wave down a train engineered by her lover before it can be bushwhacked by a gang of ruffians up to no good. Though this film could have been entitled "THE SWITCHMAN'S DAUGHTER," the Edison people apparently learned their lesson when they analyzed the disappointing box office for THE MILLER'S DAUGHTER, and decided to come up with something snappier than the more obvious default label for this follow-up offering. Also of interest are the Lassie-like exploits of the heroine's mastiff dog, which not only frees her from the bandits' bonds, but also rushes to Dad (the Switchman) to bark out that Timmy has fallen down the well. Though it is unclear to me whether the heroine's lover survives the final shootout, the gun-smoking climax is more satisfying than the finish of Edison's earlier foray into railroad mayhem, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (in which the outlaw gang behaves as if they do not have even one brain between them). The silly ranger polka which diluted the more famous film has been replaced with non-stop action in this superior effort, TRAIN WRECKERS.

One of the pleasures of viewing these early films is to witness the invention and maturation of genres, formulas and some of the most common movie clichés and conventions. This Edison picture, "Train Wreckers" made by prolific filmmakers Edwin S. Porter and Wallace McCutcheon, displays many elements of what later became standards of action films, including the last-minute rescue shorts made by D.W. Griffith. The female lead and the use of a train, in addition to the rescues and action, seem especially to be precursors to Griffith's "The Girl and Her Trust" (1912).In the 16-shots of "Train Wreckers", the female lead goes from damsel-in-distress to heroine and back to damsel-in-distress as she has a series of encounters with a gang, who for some unexplained reason are trying to derail a train. She's bound and gagged to a tree, where she is rescued by her dog. Porter and McCutcheon may have been influenced here by "Rescued by Rover", which was released earlier in 1905. Later, our hero is left for dead on the tracks, only to be saved by the filmmakers' use of a dummy and splice. There's quite a lot of action packed into one reel, including two last-minute rescues from disaster, a chase and a gunfight. There are even the most basic and brief crosscuts (Shot A cuts to Shot B cuts back to Shot A), which is something Porter had done before at Edison, but he doesn't seem to have developed it beyond the simplest forms of crosscutting in his later work. Other early Nickelodeon fare, such as Vitagraph's suspenseful "The 100 to One Shot; or a Run of Luck" (1905/06) or "The Mill Girl" (1907), in addition to Griffith's films, would feature much quicker and more extensive editing. "Train Wreckers" also breaks the axis of action rule a few times, switching the directions of action between shots (train goes right in one shot and goes left in another).There must have been too much going on for the one-reel standard to allow the filmmakers to explain every detail, because there are a few outstanding unexplained features here. Why does the heroine walk through the woods? Where is she going? Why does she walk on the railroad tracks? Why can't the criminals kill an unprotected man on the front of a train when they're firing bullets at him from only a few feet away? Are they anarchists—why are they trying to wreck the train? Perhaps Edison's catalogue gave a description to these finer points, but with the beginning of nickelodeons, self-contained narratives were becoming required, as many exhibitors no longer were willing to or able to pay lecturers to elaborate on films for audiences—which was customary in early cinema. Nevertheless, "Train Wreckers" is one of the better-made films I've seen from its time. The filmmakers made great use of the locations, created a good pacing with plenty of interest going on. In addition to the action, the film even takes a few early scenes for peaceful exposition, introducing the heroine's sweetheart and life around the trains. There's an exceptionally well-composed shot through a window of a train arriving at the station. The film was one of Edison's best sellers between 1905-1906, selling 157 prints (Musser, "Before the Nickelodeon").

Train Wreckers, The (1905) *** (out of 4) A group of men get their kicks by derailing trains but they meet their match in a feisty woman who will stop at nothing to protect the trains. This is a pretty intense action/thriller that has some wonderful stunt work including one scene where the woman is knocked out on the tracks and a man has to climb to the front of the train and pick her up moments before being ran over.Miller's Daughter, The (1905) *** (out of 4) Hazel is kicked out of her father's house when he learns she's involved with a married man and refuses to marry a good farmer who her father likes. Eventually Hazel finds herself on the streets, too poor to live anywhere and her father still hates her for her selection in men. This here was a pretty brutal and harsh film that deals with poverty, suicide and pretty much everything else in between. It's rather touching in the end as the girl gets one more chance at doing the right thing.Watermelon Patch, The (1905) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Several black men are stealing watermelon so the farmers put out scarecrow's with real men to scare them away. Here's another politically insensitive short that uses race to get laughs and while some of the stereotypes are so horribly over the top you can't help but roll your eyes and laugh.Life of an American Policeman (1905) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Shows the everyday life of a policeman from waking up in the morning, having breakfast with his children and his duties on the job. Some nice stunt work but not nearly in the same league as Life of an American Firefighter.

There's plenty of action and suspense in this short melodrama, and it also has some good outdoor settings that add significantly to its effectiveness. It has more in common than it might first appear to with action-oriented movies of later years.The story focuses on the heroine, who seems to be either the wife or daughter of the stationmaster, as she contends with the brutal activities of "The Train Wreckers." Although much of the story-telling technique is commonplace for the era, there is also a useful sequence showing her in a peaceful setting in the station house, which allows the viewer to identify with her a little before she goes out and faces danger.The main attraction in its time was probably its use of the outdoor sets, particularly on the railroad tracks, to pretty good effect. Some of the decisions that the characters make are, on reflection, kind of strange, but then again the same could be said about many very enjoyable action or suspense movies from any era. With movies of this genre, it usually doesn't pay to analyze the plot too closely. "The Train Wreckers" is of course not one of the classics of the genre, but it is enjoyable enough if you take it for what it is.