4. The Great Train Robbery (1903). Produced by Edison’s company and directed by Edwin S. Porter, this Western adventure (shot in New Jersey) thrilled audiences with its invigorating and somewhat (for the era) narrative, which was capped with explosions of unrepentant violence. The film’s celebrated closing shot, with a fierce-looking cowboy firing his gun directly at the camera, caused unsuspecting audiences to shriek with fear – and then applaud over the effectiveness of the scare.