Shot by Shot Reiteration

My absolute favorite visual in any film or any other media entity has been the "Train Robbery" scene in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford for several years now. There are things that stick with you when you watch films even way back when we didn't analyze the footage to become better at our chosen fields. But when we return to intriguing footage for examination with a better understanding and find that our eyes were mesmerized by visual arts before we were taught to respect the form, there clearly has been a profound resonance from what we have seen. My analyzation starts in the following clip at exactly the one-minute mark. I have posted the video, yet again, and I will also post the shots that exuded excellence in this sequence.

My first shot establishes a transition from evening to night with a very defined and saturated landscape. The land itself is on the wayward side of the sun casting a magnificent aura through the clouds while leaving the land barren and dark with few trees to the right lower third. The shot begins the sequence I wish to analyze, and allows a few seconds of transition into darkness that is clearly done in post using a brief time lapse.

The second shot is more or less another establishing shot. This one being a cowboy frame that puts the men in a densely wooded area awaiting something. This shot tells the viewer of the darkness that is prevalent in the following shots and is intelligently lit with mandatory props and what feels like nothing else.

The next shot I have chosen is of James placing his ear to the track to listen for the train and is tightly composed with his face taking the majority of the left vertical third line. This is a tracking shot that tightens in on James to allude to the coming climatic event. Again lit with a terrifically placed lantern casting a hard shadow just above the brow line from his hat.

An aft over the shoulder shot is tracked into darkness just past James' face and for a brief second the viewer is in total silent, blackness. The train light enters the frame dead center but from an angle to let the single light aboard the front of the engine cascade through the nothingness and peer down the tracks allowing a slight reflection off the tracks. The light continues to grow in size and fill the center of the screen before cutting to shots illuminating the surrounding foliage.

We are never given a clear shot of the train, which I believe builds the moment even further. The viewer now sees the train's light pushing its way through the thick forest from a higher angle. I find these next few cuts to be what is most enchanting.

My favorite shot in the sequence is a combination of lighting, costumery, and the sheer sinisterness in composition. The thieves litter the edge of the tracks with their positions commanding a medium depth of field that seemingly allows them to stand out among the unfocused branches. The light casts extremely harsh shadows over the men at the first framing.

As the train nears, the highlights are accentuated with very light shadowing. The ne'er-do-wells watch the engine pass as the light fades. I find this to be the most riveting and malicious shot of the sequence.

The first viewing the audience is given of the train is composed placing it dead center of the frame with the light blaring, allowing only the cattle guard to be seen in the lower horizontal third. The camera is placed on a moveable platform on the tracks and does not move until the train hits it. As the engine nears the camera, we are allowed more and more of the train body itself to be visible, as the front light eventually tops the frame and illuminates the foreground. When the train hits, the audience travels with it for a few seconds, which is incredible to see but unfortunately is disorienting. It almost feels as though the train has hit the platform constructed for Jesse James to stand upon to let the engineer know to stop.

As the train comes to a stop, a wide angle long shot is shown to provide room for the many happenings to end the sequence. Jesse is shown standing just left center with his full body in frame silhouetted from the engine's single light. The one illumination triumphantly strikes the encompassing smoke that surrounds him, whilst dimly scouring the landscape. I have yet to spot a reflection off the lens glass in any of these frames. I find this most impressive with the straight shots, or very slightly skewed angles of such a harsh light. Certainly filters were used, or the editor was able to brilliantly manipulate the glare.