The Great Train Robbery is a 1903 western silent movie. It was written, directed, produced, and photographed by Edwin S. Porter. It is 12 minutes long. It is thought to be an important step in making movies. It expanded upon Porter's previous movie "Life of an American Fireman". The movie used many new moviemaking techniques. These techniques included cross cutting, camera movement, and on-location shooting. Some prints of the movie were also hand colored in certain scenes. It was shot in Milltown, New Jersey. The movie has been chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.