Sunset Limited, Southern Pacific Railway

synopsis

At a small Californian station, the camera awaits the meeting of two trains. One stands on a siding while the other cuts through the image at high speed; a signalman then clears the way for the first. The fixed frame becomes a space of speed, technical coordination and railway power.

biography

James H. White organised extensive filming across the United States and abroad for the Edison Company. Cinematographer Frederick Blechynden contributed to a series promoting the Southern Pacific railroad. Their travelogues combined the allure of distant landscapes with advertising for modern transport.