Not to be confused with the same year's Arrival of a Train in Perrache, another Lumière film that shows the train's arrival from the point of view of the station, this film was shot from the moving train itself. This sense of movement, as we watch buildings and landmarks go by, is remarkable for a time in which the vast majority of films, whether filmed inside or outdoors, were shot from a stationary position. In reality, this (and similar Lumière films from the same year) was also shot stationary, but placing the camera on a moving vehicle or platform gives a sense of motion that make these films feel more modern than their contemporaries.
The film opens on the side of a building that quickly whizzes by. As the camera moves past the first few buildings, we get a deeper focus background with a house atop a big hill, move across a river where we can see horse-drawn carriages and people crossing a bridge, track past some trees and buildings with full-side billboards for lingerie, and end up in what appears to be a rail yard. As the film ends, the train is presumably reaching its destination at the station. Arrival by Train is a beautiful film that ranks among the best of the Lumière location shoots. I highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in early film history.
